Deprivation and Restoration
by VariousStories
Summary: Darkness once again threatens to consume the light that is humanity, for all things must come to an end. However this time humanity will find its greatest weapon turned on itself, as the Grimm rise to wipe them off the map. At the same time, humanity is given another weapon, one that may turn the tide once and for all... Ruby/OC (M for future leeway). On Temporary Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: The Deprivation of Birth

**A/N: I hate it when other people say this, but this is my first story on RWBY. NOT MY FIRST FANFICTION, just my first fanfic on purely RWBY, I plan on having a crossover of it with Bleach up, and I am mainly a Bleach writer and I find it hard to jump between fandoms and understand everything in a flash, so if something is missing that you want to point out, by all means do!**

 **This will, surprise, have a _MINOR_ crossover with Bleach, mainly just a handful of abilities from the series (or Manga specifically). I hope you enjoy regardless, and if you like Bleach I offer you to read my other fics, which are at least 4K-10K long per chapter :D**

 **Also, as an extra note; this first part of the chapter is told from the perspective of a child, so it will be lacking proper speech patterns and such until they reach a reasonable age. Long A/N at the end of the chapter.**

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 1: The Deprivation of Birth**

* * *

Being a child was... strange.

Or more specifically, being a new-born was strange.

He knew that was what he was, but he did not know how. Images played in his mind slowly, allowing him to analyse them before dismissing them subconsciously. He didn't understand why they were here, but he liked them. Some were pretty, like large fields of flowers with two children - was that the word? - skipping in it. Some were more... _brutal_ , such as a large black and white monster stabbing a farmer through his stomach with a large clawed paw. Despite the brutality it was... interesting... to look at, the only thing I could.

I was always surrounded in darkness, silence and I could never seem to make a noise. I couldn't seem to move either, but in the end I didn't need to with these pictures.

They were my comrades.

* * *

As time droned on, I learned.

Such as that black-and-white beast was called a Grimm, namely a Goliath. I knew it was a large, seemingly calm creature, but like all Grimm it held an instinctive hatred towards Humans. Despite that it seemed rather... weak, if you abused its weaknesses. Perhaps you could jump onto its back, then how would it get up? Its weight appeared as though it would prevent it from immediately getting up, therefore if it did tip onto its side to knock you off you could attack its underbelly.

I knew this from the pictures, some even animated ones that spoke words and sounds, echoing in the darkness. I remembered all the names of the people in the pictures, as they came to me randomly; Katie, Hans, Kit, Cana, many people. Some were hunters and huntresses too, but they always died in the end. It was kind of... sad.

But even so, I continued to look at the information, my mind eager to pick out every little detail from them.

* * *

One day, out of the blue, light flooded my dark realm of pictures. My eyes, not adjusted to the brightness dubbed 'light', saw nothing more than blurs. Different colours played out before me, mainly white, but also other colours, a mix of black, brown and oddly a shade of lilac. I tried to dismiss them, but the light still shone through the darkness, albeit not as bright. Because of this I waited to see if it would stop being blur, but it did not. Colours moved but the whiteness was eternal, wavering when another colour overcame it.

After an extended period of time I eventually was consumed back into darkness, which I later identified as sleep. However it could not be counted entirely as sleep as I was not rendered unconscious, rather my body was resting and my mind was unable to contact my body, preventing me from awakening it.

Interesting.

* * *

One day, out of the blue, a new collection of pictures and videos came.

They were from a different persons perspective, and they went different places than the other pictures. He had a family, with a wife named Sara and a son named Tjeria, a very unique name. He worked as a Hunter, a job where they protected people from the Grimm. He had visited a hospital in one of the more recent pictures, finding a baby where a large crowd of people were.

 _''What's his name?''_ He asked.

 _''Eien''_ A person said, a woman dressed in white clothing _''He's special, have you heard the rumours?''._

 _''Mm, anyone who touches him gets mysteriously cured of their illness, right?''_ The man replied, proceeding to then touch the child, but nothing happened.

 _''I'll be on my way now, please tell Miss Tsuki that I need to see her soon''_ The man said politely.

 _''Of course, Kaname''._

The situation was odd and I had to replay it several times to understand what was happening, especially when the child opened his eyes everyone was ecstatic, claiming he could even heal himself. The child had just stared at the white ceiling above for hours before falling asleep, and everyone left as they did not want to disturb the baby.

That baby was me, as it seems.

* * *

I came to a realization.

Perhaps these were not pictures and videos, but rather memories? All of the memories I see are tied to people who end up dying, which must mean that they died and because they touched me, they die after a while. I roughly guessed, from the others memories, that it was over the span of several months, it would be sudden and painless. It was sad in a way, but at the same time...

What could I do?

* * *

Again my eyes had opened, after seeing almost three sets of new memories. This time it only took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the world around me, and honestly I was... disappointed. It was a hospital room, the one from the memories of the baby - therefore meaning I was said baby. I felt so... helpless, compared to the Hunters and Huntresses who fought against large Goliaths or mutated Grimm, they were the weirdest kind.

But unlike before everything was clear, sharp, crisp, and all of the unsaid brisk words. It felt nice to look around, to turn my neck, to blink and see. I was in a hospital bed, only it was empty at this time and there was a box beside me, something I think was called an IV or something.

Something I didn't know about.

We'll have to fix that sometime.

* * *

It was my fifteenth time of being awake when I noticed a difference, that being that there were s _ounds._ I heard a beeping coming from the IV, there were murmurs outside of the wooden door at the other end of the room. I tried to move my arms, and they obeyed sluggishly, shaking from either disuse, or initial use. Immediately this trigger a low 'beep, beep, beep' and when I tried to move more, it increased in tempo. It did not frighten me, but rather made me curious as to what it meant.

Was I not supposed to move? Or did it track my movements encase I was to fall from this bed?

The door opened and a woman - A Nurse? - came in, long brown hair in a braid over one shoulder ''Hello little Eien''.

She was motherly, I realised, much like Sara from my memories. I could see the anxiety in her eyes, but also curiosity and happiness. It was the first time I moved after all, at least according to my memories - or rather my first conscious movement, instead of tossing in my sleep. I opened my mouth and a long, stringed 'Ahhhh' came out.

She giggled ''Hungry are you?''.

A small rumble accompanied by a slightly painful twitch in my stomach was a response, she nodded and left the room. This puzzled me; how would she 'feed' me if she wasn't here? My question was answered when she came back with a small silver plate with mushy food on it.

Somehow, it didn't seem very appealing.

* * *

It had been the thirty-second time I opened my eyes when something changed once again.

A large muscled brute had come in with a bad case of 'bird flu' and apparently knew my parents, who were currently out of town. I had what was called a birthday only a week ago, my first one of many apparently. However when I looked through my memories nobody knew this man - granted few knew my parents, and he had a foul odour about him, and I wasn't speaking about the flu.

He came up to me when I was conscious and gently (something surprising given his large build) and grabbed my arm, painfully. I didn't make a sound, rather feeling him just hold me and wait for something. I could feel it in my chest, like if I broke off a _tiny_ piece of a cookie and took it away. In my mind I felt that piece of me come into contact with him, sending pulses about his form in an invisible manner as the unseen sickness was taken away.

I had done this several times; people would touch me, my 'inner being' would break a tiny bit and join his, then he would die a few weeks or months from now and I would get that piece back, therefore meaning I didn't lose anything, but rather gained all his memories and experiences. However, what if I took action? I had remained impassive when this happened, and I felt my shard touch _his_ 'inner being'. Normally I would do nothing and the shard would seemingly disappear, apparently into his soul.

But this time, _I pulled_.

Nothing happened for a bit, he let go of my arm and nodded to the nurses before making his way to the door. I felt my shard though, it wasn't mixed with his 'inner being' and so I pulled again.

 _That_ got a reaction. He keeled over and brought a hand to his mouth as he rapidly began coughing, blood seeping between his fingertips as the Nurses rushed to him. My shard returned to me, and I felt his 'inner being' begin to crack, like I hit it with a hammer. I felt slightly bad I did that, but when my shard had returned and the memories danced across my mind I realised why none of my memories contained him.

He was something I identified as a murderer, someone who killed other humans for a reason.

I began feeling sleeping, perhaps that cost me some of my energy and made me tired. Despite never having done it before, I rasped out;

''Bad... man''.

It surprised the nurses, both because I spoke and because I called him a bad man after he touched me, as he effectively bled out. I was then consumed back into darkness, my consciousness drifting into a true sleep for the first time in a while.

* * *

It was my seventy-second time I opened my eyes when I was allowed to move from my bed.

The nurse, one that had surprisingly not died yet even after attending to me for my entire existence, held my hand as I sat up on the bed, my legs dangling off the edge. I was now two years old, but my form was thin from my initial lack of food intake and continued over-resting. Since I _intentionally_ killed that murdering man I had grown to speak more, to communicate as much as possible... to _learn_.

''How are you feeling today, Eien?'' Marisa smiled gently, motherly.

My parents never came, they were hunters and were always busy with other things to visit a partially comatose child. I didn't care though; if they couldn't find it in them to visit me, why should I care about them?

Maybe I should kill them too, get rid of the trash.

No, that was a bad idea. For now.

Realising Nurse Marisa was still waiting for an answer, I responded ''Curious''.

She chuckled womanly ''You're always curious, Eien''.

I gave a slow nod ''Can we go outside?''.

Marisa made a humming noise before saying ''Let me go ask Mr. Takano, okay?''.

Mr. Takano, the person who owned this place and a very kind man. He never touched me, for he was always in perfect health and claimed he never wanted to burden a child by curing his rare illnesses, unintentionally avoiding an early death to my uncontrollable ability.

I liked him for that, he was kind but cunning.

* * *

I looked around me, the grass was a soft green and the trees were a mix of green, orange and red. This was late summer I believe, a cool but ultimately warm breeze blew by as I looked around the grassy area. It was behind the hospital, just an open span of grassy plains and trees with a fence around the edges.

''What is this place?'' I asked, speech naturally disjointed.

''This is what people called a Park'' She smiled as she sat on her knees, holding me to her chest ''People come here to relax or to enjoy themselves by playing games''.

I looked at the grass below me ''Why is the grass green?''.

Nurse Marisa laughed loudly at that, a soft pitch regardless of the volume ''That is an interesting question, Eien. Well that's because it started out as little seeds, and because of water and sunlight, they grew into grass!''.

I frowned slightly ''You didn't say why it was green, only how it grew''.

She let out a chuckle ''Well its because plants, including grass, contain a special little something called chlorophyll''.

''Clorhofill'' I repeated, but it didn't sound like how she said it, so I tried again ''Chlorofill... Chlorophill... Chlorophyll?''.

''That's right! Well done!'' She praised, her voice contained surprise but maternal pride.

I looked up at the bright sky ''...why is the sky blue?''.

Marisa sighed with a smile ''Well you see...''.

* * *

Marisa died last night.

I wasn't as sad as I should be, because I felt a shard come back to me with her memories. She had a heart attack in the middle of the street and died before the Paramedics could even be deployed, the worst part was that she died smiling - her last thought was about me.

From there I began trying to control my ability. When someone touched me I tried to stop the shard from leaving me, and it obeyed, staying with me. The problem was that the only way to heal these people was by giving them the shard, and then killing them a few months later. So I did, I let them take a shard of my 'inner being' and cure them of all ailments, knowing that they would die in a few months but willing to do that instead of bear their illnesses.

I needed more information if I wanted to make good use of my ability.

* * *

I had my fourth birthday a few weeks ago.

I was allowed to be a normal child now, wake up on my own, eat a meal given to me by the nurse - a friendly one, thankfully - and then go to a place called playschool. I learned from my memories that it was a sort of prelude to actual school, and from my memories I could not dissect any actually useful information.

The nurses and doctors praised me for my apparently high intellect and my eagerness to learn, mainly giving me medical books because, well, it _was_ a hospital. I often was taken to a library, a massively large building with a glass roof. The librarian and the Nurse who took me were friends, so they often chatted over coffee while I went about to read my books in silence.

I was a quiet person in the playschool, mainly because I did not see what the point of it was. Why would I want to play such pointless games, when I could learn via books? It was stupid.

It was a quiet day today, everyone eating in an outside lunch hall in groups. I was welcome in any, but not explicitly invited unless they wanted me for something, usually answers from an upcoming test because of my intelligence. The teachers always though it was weird how I was born, how I healed but reduced a persons lifespan, and it was weird - but useful. I still had yet to see my parents, and at this point I could care less about them.

I was sitting under a tree reading when I heard a person - a girl - cry out in a mix of surprise and pain. I lifted my eyes from my book and frowned when I saw she had been pushed off her seat by a boy a year older than her, spluttering insults at her. The girl began to cry but surprisingly, the teachers did not intervene. A quick glance showed that they had seen but were pretending not to, fumbling for their scrolls or openly ignoring it.

I set my book down and walked over to the kids, the elder boy looking only a few steps away from kicking her when I spoke ''Why are you hurting her?''.

The duo stopped and the garden could never have seemed quieter as the boy replied cockily ''She's a Faunus! My daddy says they're nothing more than animals!''.

I frowned deeper, looking at the young brown haired girl with small bunny ears on her head.

But she was human, aside from that.

''She's human'' I frowned at him and poked him with a finger ''Just because she has extra appendages doesn't mean she isn't one''.

He seemed slightly stunned by my rebuttal, so I ignored him and helped the nameless girl to her feet and left with her, staying close to protect her from the others until the day ended.

* * *

He sighed as he saw the news report of the 'innocent child who died to cardiac arrest' the other day. My poke transferred a shard, a shard of my _soul_ as I now better-named it. I intended to kill him and I felt no remorse for it, especially since nobody knew I was responsible. Rather I was... disappointed, really, by the fact people hated Faunus so much, if all the information about it was to go by.

I was four years old, and from all my memories combined I estimated that 85% of the memory holders were Faunus-Racist. Disappointing. But he could understand where it came from, the fear the 'White Fang' invoked was a given, but the discrimination before they took such brutal ways was unjustified.

So I scowled when I went to sleep that night, unhappy about the way the Faunus were treated.

* * *

I was six years old when I had enough.

I lived in the hospital all my life, mainly because the doctors knew of my unknown ability to heal and kill via touch just from observing, and they refused to let me go to an orphanage where I could jotted off via illegal means. But even from the safety the children's hospital ward gave me, I could not do anything interesting that left the normal age parameters.

So in the dead of night I left the hospital and went into the garden, and sat down to enjoy the bitter cold air around me. It was autumn, proven by the colours of the leaves aimlessly falling in the night sky. I intended to test what my Aura could do, if I had it at all. It was like a nagging itch at the back of my mind that I always felt when I wasn't already busy with a task, and right now it was stronger than ever.

But there was one major problem... I had _zero_ idea on how to do such a thing.

I sighed, rolling in the grass aimlessly. I did so for a while, probably ten minutes, before something caught my eye. It was a single branch in the middle of a field of grass, obviously having been torn from a shrub of some kind. I reached out to touch it, envisioning in my mind that it was actually a sword - the one from legends... er... Ex-something, Excalibur? Yes that was it.

However when I actually touched it I felt a slight shocking sensation, instinctively making my hand retract. I watched however as an nigh invisible shard of my soul went into the stick, and it _morphed_. It made several creaking noises and snapping sounds and there was a small flash of light that forced me to close my eyes momentarily. Upon them reopening I was greeted by the sight of that very same fictional sword in front of me, though the colour scheme was slightly duller and wasn't the _exact_ length.

I blinked and tried to pick it up again, only to find, much to my dry amusement, that it was too heavy to pick up. So I tried what I did before, imagining it to be... a cookie. It cracked and snapped as the metal began caving in on itself, a flash of white light obscuring my vision until it cleared, allowing me to see a cookie. Interesting... so I could make it into anything I wanted, though if this had anything to do with Aura or Semblance I didn't know. I did feel slightly more tired though, so it might be.

However, one MAJOR question remained;

Did it _taste_ like a cookie?

Curious, I picked up the small cookie and bit it. It was slightly tougher than a normal cookie, but then again I didn't preference what I wanted it to be like. It did taste like a cookie though, a plain cookie. After I consumed the cookie (and incidentally, regained my soul shard) I went about looking for another random, unrequired object that nobody would miss. I was curious if I could make a living thing, but at the same time it would mean I would have to envision its organs and bodily functions, because I doubted that I could create a living being that didn't need blood, heart or lungs.

Realising that I was feeling even more tired than before, I snuck back into the hospital and to my room, snuggling under the covers without a sound.

Then a thought came to me;

What about Grimm?

* * *

In hindsight, this was a bad idea.

A very bad one.

I had came up with the idea of using a Grimm as a basic tool last night, and now - the next night - I was putting it into action. I found a singular rock and intended for it to morph into a Beowulf, and it worked, partially. I knew Grimm lacked most organs, only keeping the heart, lungs and stomach/digestive system. Since I had no intention of creating a Grimm and letting it loose, I forewent the digestive system and in terms of the heart I created a more... mechanical version, since most medical books did not fully explain every little detail needed to recreate a heart. The lungs were simple rebreathers that swimmers used, allowing it to breath but having a limit.

However even though I created that, the main problem had been its brain. Like the heart, medical books didn't include enough information to recreate a brain. Therefore I had to substitute it as best I could, making a metal oval with various nerves and veins coming out of it, going to the different part of the body. It was for all intents and purposes a marionette, its basic instinct being to breathe and to blink. So after spending so much of my reserves that I was almost dizzy, I created a Beowulf that did as I intended; mindless and its only instinct being to breathe and blink.

And I observed as it did so, barely reacting to anything I did. Eventually I touched it and reached out, feeling the shard of my soul inside of it, and I altered it. I gave it the instinct that most Grimm had, to hunt animals. The moment I did so it followed that instinct, running away from me and towards the forest where non-Grimm were known to live, such as Deer or small rodents. I pursed it as fast as possible, but being a creature of instinct to hunt, it also had developed the ability to run - which, granted, should be impossible since I hadn't given it the ability to do so.

Perhaps it was a natural thing? Children followed their instincts; to eat, to drink, to crawl, to walk, etc.

Curious and concerned, I ran after it, well as fast as I could run. It was a Beowulf, and I was a six year old, but I did end up catching up with it. It appears as the amount of oxygen in the lungs-rebreathers wasn't high enough, because I found it on the ground, panting as it tried to breathe, a deer running away from us. Without hesitation I walked up to it and touched it, willing the soul fragment to come back to me. There was a slight resistant, presumably because it was sentient, but in the end it came back to me, leaving me tired from both the run and using my soul-shard ability.

So, I returned to my 'home'.

* * *

I was eight now.

I still remained at the hospital, the staff becoming attached to me enough to warrant them becoming my guardians. I continued to sneak out at night without anyone noticing, creating a dummy and putting it under my bed to prevent suspicion. I found out that this hospital was actually near the edge of 'Vale', meaning I could access the surrounding forests, easily removing a small part of the wall around the city to allow me to enter and exit at will.

I always brought some stones with me, because as it seemed my ability to transform anything into anything was not limited on size restrictions, meaning I could make a pebble a boulder, granted the larger the object the more Aura it takes. If it is of equal size or weight, then it requires only a little. The limits to my ability, that I could see so far, was that it required physical touch, and that I was severely limited on what I could effect when it came to already-living things. Speaking of living things, I have made only a tiny bit of progress, that being semi-sentient thought.

It only went so far, such as following basic commands, but not much further. Although one large breakthrough was that if I were to create a semi-sentient Grimm, for example a Beowulf, I could command it to infiltrate its own kind and follow its movements, therefore allowing me to know where it was - since my shards were detectable by me, but not by anything else. It had worked and I used it to my advantage, warning the wall guards that I 'just so happened' to see a large pack of Beowolves coming our way, and I was always right.

Of course the Semi-Sentient Beowulf would die, but the shard would return and I would gain its knowledge and experience, though it was only useful for scouting so far. I had however got a goal in mind, one that I had debated for a long while; becoming a hunter. It seemed simple in a way, kill Grimm, enough said. With the ability I had, I could probably be a decent hunter, that is if I improved my abilities current level of skill, because I believe it could do more than what it currently could.

But first, it needed a name...

Matter Manipulation?

...

Sounds good.

* * *

I was nine now, and still nobody has caught me leaving in the night.

So I sat on the grass, winter snow gently falling around me but was ultimately ignored. I looked at the large rock in front of me, focusing it on morphing. It was arguably one of the most complex things I intended to do, via transforming the stone into a weapon that could switch like some Hunter/Huntresses' weapons. I watched the rock float up into the air slightly as it glowed before it began cracking, reforming, and then engulfed in a flash of light that I shielded myself from. When my eyes returned to where the rock was, I was not disappointed.

A scythe now lay before me, a sleek black rod with a grey blade. It was only simple in appearance though, because if you looked closer and properly analysed it you would find its true potential. The top end of the pole had a hole in it, as that was where the gun part of the melee weapon came into play. The other end of the pole was were the ammo would be loaded in long, pole-like cartridges that were reminiscent of a railgun's loading system like he saw in books. The ammo type would vary, as variety would undoubtedly be useful... he'd have to look into that.

The trigger was near the lower half of the pole, and obviously was the mechanism to fire the rounds out of the top end of the scythe. However if it was pushed inwards it would contract the whole weapon, transforming it into a sleek grey sniper rifle with bipod and scope. I tested this immediately, pushing the tip of the trigger inwards and making it fold in on itself - nearly cutting me, but I ignored that - and smiled at my creation. Like its scythe form, it was sleek and fairly long with the bipod dangling just before the barrel, with a muzzle brake on the muzzle to reduce recoil.

The clip was, like before, loaded in from the back of the sniper, just below the stock and a chambering bolt was on the side of the gun, making it bolt action. A scope lay on top of the weapon with anti-reflective lens. Nodding in approval I pushed the trigger up again, making it extend and reform into its scythe form. I frowned slightly though, I hadn't looked past its two states and had no real way to store it, if there even was a way.

''You need a name...'' I whisper to myself, humming in thought before smiling.

''Judgement''.

* * *

It was really getting ridiculous now, it made me want to go tell the staff what I was doing, just to see if they'd still catch me. I mean I was ten now, and they _still_ haven't caught me leaving.

Or maybe they have, and just let me do it anyway?

Either way, it was getting ridiculous. But, I had used almost all of last week preparing for today. I used an excuse to leave the hospital, one that included going to 'a friends house' and being back before ten at night. The staff, or rather the ones who regularly attended to me (the ones who I managed to prevent from dying, subconsciously preventing the shards of my soul from joining theirs), were reluctant but eventually conceded.

So, as I finished getting dressed, I left the hospital. I was dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans, a duffel bag over my shoulder. I walked fast and quietly as I got out of sight of the hospital, abruptly changing course as I went around the hospital grounds while taking alleyways and streets to stay out of sight. It probably took... thirty minutes to get outside Vale? Considering that the library was near the exit and took twenty-five minutes to get there.

Upon exiting the kingdom of Vale I began walking into the forest not far from the walls surrounding the city, and upon entering the bushes I took out Judgement in its sniper form (since it was, by default, its more compact form) and slung it over my shoulder while keeping the duffel bag over my other. I intended to come out here for the purpose of training to make up for my lack of training, sans some target practice I did. I didn't know how long I wanted to be out here, but I would stay close enough to Vale where I could get there within an hour of walking speed, or probably twenty from sprinting.

In my duffel bag was just an extra set of clothes to hide my weaponry, a dozen or two tins of canned food that I snuck out from the dining hall, a few bottles of water, a compass, a map, a lighter and several cases of ammo of different varieties. The majority of the previous week was researching all types of current ammo types and dust crystal types, and transforming them into a .338 Lapua Magnum round, something not many others use apparently, but appears surprisingly useful for me - in terms of base penetration and power at least.

A slight ruffling of bushes drew my attention away from my thoughts, an idle glance of the position of the sun making me realise that I had been lost in thought for at least an hour, while walking. Dismissing those thoughts I dropped my duffel and unslung Judgement, falling into a crouch and bracing the stock against my left shoulder, one hand just behind the bipod and one on the handle beside the trigger. I had preloaded a 5-round standard .338 rounds mag, and it was good that I had preloaded it because less than two seconds later a Beowulf jumped out of a shrubbery less than fifteen feet from me.

Various bushes and trees made it hard to get a clear shot, but I waited until he was sufficiently close enough and fired blindly, taking myself by surprise when I was nearly knocked on my rear from the recoil. Probably should've tested firing from a crouch instead of a prone position, but then again I _was_ here for training. The shot struck true and opened a hole in the Grimm's head, killing it instantly. The distance was probably the deciding factor in that, but regardless I got the kill. In a second I pulled the bolt back and re-chambered another round, aiming with the scope this time only to realise it was focused too high for this distance.

With a light scowl I readjusted it with the cog on the top, reducing the distance to only 2x, and allowing me to see better. I waited, listening as the bushes ahead of me rustled gently, repeating.

''I know you're there, Grimm'' I called out, succeeding in antagonising the Grimm as a second Beowulf charged out, getting it a round between the eyes and a decomposing body. Two Grimm already, good so far. I nodded to myself, but I was more than aware that the more Grimm I killed the more likely I was to draw the attention of the big guns; Deathstalkers, Nevermore's, etc. Ursa I could deal with, but Boarbatusk would require Armour-piercing rounds unless I went directly for its unarmoured sections.

Deathstalkers would also require AP rounds to deal with unless I dragged the fight out longer so I could wear it down without using my AP rounds, but since I could just turn a rock into another mag of them I found the idea of conservation redundant. Deathstalkers would need AP rounds to be dealt with, that was a given. Nevermore? They lacked armoured but had tough feathers if I read the transcript right, meaning AP rounds would be important but not required... maybe Incendiary or Corrosion? If the feathers were actual 'Steel Feathers' then Corrosion would be best, but if they were muscle then Incendiary would be better.

But what about a King Taijitu? I doubted there were any in the forests, but if I did find one then it would undoubtedly be difficult. Each Grimm had a certain type of attack pattern, only changing when they had a high intelligence. Beowulf was just charge-in and slash, Boarbatusk was curling into a roll and ramming with blunt trauma, Nevermore would perform strafing runs with its feathers or dive bombings with its claws or mouth, Deathstalker would either crush or sting you, Ursa was just charging in and then swiping at you. But King Taijitu were fast and deadly.

In my own mental encyclopaedia, each Grimm and Hunter/Huntress had three main statistics; Attack, Defence and Speed. Most excelled in one or two areas and lacked in the third, either slightly or majorly. Beowulf had low defence but relatively good attack and speed. Ursa had high defence and attack, but low speed. Boarbatusk had high speed, defence and lacked only slightly in attack. Deathstalkers had high attack and defence, but lacked in the speed area slightly. Nevermore had high attack and speed, but low defence. King Taijitu on the other hand had incredible speed and offence, but little to no defence.

That was one of the major things though; it _didn't need_ defence. It was fast enough to evade a measure of hits and strong enough to kill before it took too much damage, its scales strong enough to hold it together long enough. Then there was the case of the Goliath... it would be near impossible to see them this close by, but at the same time it _was_ possible, sightings had occurred with them this close before. They had high offence and defence, but lacked greatly in speed because of it. I doubted even my AP rounds could do much damage to its armour, at that was concerning.

Disregarding my thoughts for now, I ventured deeper into the wild forests.

* * *

''I wonder if I need a sidearm?'' I mused to myself as I stared at the night sky ''Judgement can turn into a scythe, but doing so takes precious seconds to do so, and it can't be accelerated without risking damage to Judgement itself, so I may need a sidearm to pull out when things heat up''.

I was lying on my back atop a tree, I had surrounded the base of the tree and the surrounding area in twigs, meaning that unless it was the stealthiest of all Grimm it wouldn't get past without waking me. And if it was capable of reaching me without waking up, then it was obviously strong enough to likely end in my defeat. I had killed a total of nine Beowolves and an Ursa so far, only needing to use the standard .338 so far.

But back to the subject of a sidearm, what would I use? A handgun would be a wise choice, but there are several types of handguns. I could go for a fast, light-damaging pistol, a high-calibre revolver, or a heavyweight hand cannon. A light-damaging pistol could be effective but it would require multiple rounds and be nearly useless against armoured enemies. A revolver could be decent, but six rounds isn't a lot to work on... then again a hand cannon would possess anything from ten rounds to one round, depending on the ammo type.

...Perhaps a hand cannon would be best? I could conceal it on my person so that I could trick them. They would study me in a fight and realise there was a slight delay between transformations between scythe and sniper, leaving me open. When I was changing or in sniper mode they would come in close to attack, then I would pull out a hand cannon to deal high damage with a high chance of hitting, at least on the initial strike.

Yes, a Hand Cannon seems like a good idea.

* * *

As it turns out my stick trap worked.

Problem being after hearing multiple sets of sticks snap at the same time, I realised that there were multiple Grimm. I got into combat mode instantly, swapping Judgement into scythe mode within an instant. The noise of clanking metal drew the attention of the Grimm, forcing me to leave my tree after grabbing my duffel. I fell to the forest floor and out of instinct spun around me, twirling Judgement around me. I cut into a Beowulf, but because I was only ten, my strength barely matched up to the Grimm and it head-butted me away - something that stunned me, for a Grimm rarely did that, as far as my knowledge went.

So I swapped Judgement back into sniper form and immediately fell into a crouch, firing immediately at the nearest Beowulf. There were five of them, but red eyes in the shrubbery told me there was more. I narrowed my eyes as I pulled the trigger again, flinching from the recoil as I struck the second Beowulf in the chest, incapacitating it.

By now the Beowolves had gotten over my abrupt movement, snarling and charging me. I scowled and immediately turned and ran, my weapon was a sniper and scythe mode wasn't effective because I lacked the body mass to do so. Now my idea of having a secondary was solidified, but at the moment I didn't have the time to create one, so I would do that later. I rolled in order to avoid a claw as I belatedly realised that Beowolves were faster than I originally anticipated, so in response to the attack - mid roll - I fired a loose shot at him. The recoil increased my momentum and allowed me to finish my roll and continue running, not needing to look at the already-decaying corpse.

I grimaced as I was tackled to the ground, feel the claws of the Grimm draw blood. However I held no fear for the beast, merely... annoyance. I _slammed_ the butt of my sniper into its jaw, creating a sickening crack as it recoiled from the impact, allowing me to place the barrel at its chin and fire, grimace deepening as I realised that meant only one bullet was left in the chamber, and I was sure there was more than one Beowulf left.

I tossed the corpse off me, zipping my duffel open in a flash as I fell into a defensive position, eyes watching the bushes around me. I was deep into the shrubbery now, meaning they could come from any angle. I dug out another rail of standard .308 bullets, pulling out the current rail with one bullet left and dumping it in my bag. It could be reused after all, no use in wasting it.

I loaded my sniper again, digging out a secondary rail and shoving it into my waistband for easier access when this rail ran out. I zipped up the bag again, slung it over my shoulder and began moving again, rifle lowered but guarded as to be raised in an instant. I moved through the forest quietly in a fast walk, eyes darting around me in search of the Grimm. I was making the occasional cracking noise when I walked, indicating that if I was tailed then it would have the same effect-

 _SNAP!_

I spun on my heel and without wasting a second fired from a loose crouch, ignoring the recoil it brought. The round pierced its chest, either killing it or injuring it enough for it to bleed out. Immediately as it fell my eyes widened a fraction in surprise as _an Ursa_ walked from behind it, glaring at me with killing intent clear as the sun. I narrowed my eyes as we stared off, neither moving. Was it smart enough to realise that since it was unarmoured, I could pierce its skull and end it, and it couldn't dodge because of its weight?

Deciding to test my luck, I spoke slowly ''Leave now, and you live another day to kill''.

I waited with bated breath as it narrowed its eyes however slightly. Then it slowly backed up, eyes trained on me as I remained in place until the Ursa was far enough away, then we both turn away from the other and moved away.

In any other situation, I would've laughed.

Right now?

I was laughing my ass off _inside my head._

* * *

The rest of my time in the forest had gone relatively well, aside from the constant encounters with the Grimm that is. Food was eaten at a gradual and methodical pace, leaving plenty of spares for a later occasion. I had run into a Caravan group at one point and I assisted them on through the forest, allowing them to reach the city - they thanked me and said they owed me, giving me an address for a later date. It was the seventh day when I decided to return to the hospital, no doubt having worried the nurses sick. I would have an easy solution; I was kidnapped by the White Fang, that... pesky... terrorist group. I had gained a reputation for healing (and killing, but nobody mentioned it) so it would be easy to blame it on a criminal organisation that was likely to do such a thing.

However before I return... I want to stop in at the library first...

I entered the large building, ignoring the concerned looks I got from the people around me. I was fairly bloody after all, and I still had my sniper over my shoulder with my duffel on the other. I approached the desk and was greeted by the librarian, Miss Taya.

''Hello Miss Taya'' I greeted amicably.

''Eien!'' She nearly exclaimed ''Where have you been? Everyone has been so worried about you!''.

''I was kidnapped and taken to this place in the forest with people called White Fang looking after me'' I said and her face turned into shocked horror ''I escaped a week ago, killed forty Beowolves, four Ursa and a Deathstalker''.

She openly gawked, so I moved onto the purpose of my visit.

''So... did you get in the newest volume of Atlas Machinery?''.

* * *

''Eien!'' Nurse Rise exclaimed as she hugged me ''Where have you been?!''.

''Kidnapped by the White Fang'' I explained dryly ''Fought through the forest of Grimm for a week or so, and asked if Miss Taya had the newest edition of Atlas Machinery in, she said she would bring it around later''.

Rise blinked, once, twice, thrice before sighing ''Alright, lets get you cleaned up, then tell me the whole story''.

''Sure'' I shrugged, walking towards my designated room when Rise stopped me, and I made a noise of confusion.

''Why do you have a gun?'' She said with worry.

I tilted my head ''Its Judgement, my precious weapon I made last year''.

She blinked again ''Eh?''.

I shrugged off her hand ''I'll explain later''.

I walked down the pristine white halls into my room, just as blank as the other rooms as I preferred them blank. I moved to the private shower, taking my duffel and sniper with me. I turned on the shower and locked the door behind me, disrobing and entered the warm water, leaving my duffel and sniper on the floor.

* * *

When I left the room, in the set of clean clothes in my duffel - which I completely forgot about. I wore a plain white shirt and white shorts, bare feet tapping against the cool floor as I walked over to my bed, Nurse Rise and Mr. Takano sitting in chairs next to it.

''Hello Eien'' Takano smiled, wrinkles moving with his muscles ''Are you feeling okay?''.

''Fine'' I answered after a pause, my face in its naturally blank state.

''What happened? Tell us everything'' Takano stated seriously and I nodded.

''I was walking to Axon's house when two men came from behind me and put a bag on my head, then I fell asleep suddenly, then I woke up with a headache in a dark cell'' I paused, blinking slowly ''Men came in at random, getting me to 'heal' them before they left again. During a small break I used Judgement to break out of my chains''.

I paused, hefting the sniper up onto my lap ''I made it last year, a sniper and scythe hybrid''.

''You made it last year?'' Rise said in surprise.

''Security is lax'' I said dryly, looking at Takano ''I've been going to the Park for years during the night, not that I'm complaining''.

He blinked in surprise before shrugging, saying nothing.

''I made lots of ammo for it too'' I said as I crawled onto the floor at the end of the bed so they could see as I dragged the duffel over in front of them ''I also took some when I escaped''.

I took out one box ''Corrosion rounds''.

Another ''Incendiary''.

''Explosive''.

''Explosive Incendiary''.

''Explosive Corrosion''.

''Electrical''.

''Paralytic''.

''Armour Piercing''.

''Standard .308''.

''Maximum Calibre'' I said as I lifted out a _huge_ round, filling the entire rail.

''Scatter-shot''.

''And more that I haven't got on me'' I stated as I finally emptied the rest of the boxes onto the floor with the rails ''I like mixing them... when they don't blow up in my face that is''.

''I see you put your curiosity and knowledge to good use'' Takano nodded with a hint of respect.

''Yep'' I replied ''Every kind of Dust or Dust Ammo I either have on me or intend to get''.

''For what purpose?''.

I cocked my head at him ''Variety would be better for fighting Grimm; Corrosion or AP for armoured targets like Deathstalkers or Goliaths, Incendiary for flesh wounds such as Beowolves or unarmoured Ursa''.

''Interesting'' He mused ''And I presume you are intent on becoming a Hunter?''.

I nodded ''Though I will train without an overseen guidance''.

He cocked an eyebrow at my choice of words apparently ''Without going to Signal Academy?''.

''I feel as they would only hamper my ability'' I explained truthfully ''I have a better way of training; going back into the forest and fighting Grimm''.

Rise gawked while Takano just chuckled.

* * *

 _BANG_ _!_

The Boarbatusk didn't see it coming, only hearing the sound a second before the AP round pierced its head. I ejected the rail of empty AP rounds, replacing it with a set of Incendiary rounds. I was situated inside Mountain Glenn, the abandoned city that was once an extension of Vale. I had held myself up in here for the past six days, killing fifty Beowolves, ten Boarbatusk and a few Ursa. It was a small apartment complex and I had blocked off the already hard-to-manoeuvre doorway with random objects that I found and created with my ability.

I had created my own outfit for combat, which would be better than a shirt and trousers. I wore a grey vest that was made from armoured mesh cotton, thanks to reading Atlas's monthly weapon magazine and creativity. Grey army pants were made from the same matieral and black boots had gripped soles, and I had a knee-length hooded black trench coat over it. The inside of the trench coat was were I stocked most of my rails of ammo, stitched rings of fabric holding them up. My vest also had a dozen or so rails on it, held on by magnetics.

At my waistline under the trench coat was my secondary that I made after my initial trip five years ago, a high-calibre hand cannon that was modelled after Takano's own gun, a 'Desert Eagle' or 'Deagle' as it was also known. It had the cylinder magazine that revolvers had but the frame of a Deagle, firing modified 12G Slug rounds, that of which were usually reserved for shotgun-based weaponry. It only held three round in the cylinder, but I intended it to be used when I was left wide-open and use it to take my opponent by surprise, leaving me with the ability to take down three opponents before needing to reload both guns.

I looked up at the sky, noting that it was nearing night, and the best time to leave. Probably a good idea, the Grimm have been getting close to finding where I've been recently, so it would be a good idea to go now while I still could. I grabbed a pebble from the floor and in an almost casual manner injected a piece of my soul into it, transforming it into a rope with a hook at one end. I leaned out of the balcony slightly and threw it above me, hearing it latch onto something. I gave it a rough tug but it held firm, so I slung my sniper over my shoulder with the band in a diagonal fashion.

With caution I climbed up the rope, moving slowly and methodically until I could grip the roof itself, grabbing onto a small outcropping and pulling myself up onto the roof, rolling onto it with a gasp as I inhaled oxygen. I got to my feet a moment later, checking the area below me for Grimm - only a few Beowolves and Boarbatusk. The skies were clear of Nevermore at the moment, but I had seen a small flock of them flying by earlier so I had to be careful.

I grabbed a chunk of concrete that came from the roof and placed a part of my soul in it, disassembling the rope at the same time. Mentally picturing a bullhead from both my memories and from the books I read, it also helped that one of the people who died to me was an Atlas Engineer. It took... a third of my Aura to create the large airship? It manifested in a flash of light, the door already open. I walked into the aircraft and got on board, my boots clanking against the metallic floor as I walked to the cockpit, the memories of an Atlas pilot already playing through my mind.

After I was confident I had sufficiently rehearsed my memories I took hold of the control stick, pulling it back slightly and making it gain altitude as the engines roared to life. I scanned the buttons in front of me and flicked one that shut the door, which it did as I gained altitude to a reasonable height. I pushed the stick forward and flicked the green switch, altering the engines into a horizontal position as the aircraft moved forward. Clouds passed by as I held the stick forward slightly as I flew across the sky, back towards Vale.

When I got close enough I landed in a clearing, the moment I exited it I forcibly drew my soul shard out of it, making it turn to dust and get blown away. I learned more about my ability during the four years of training, one of them being that if I were to forcibly remove my soul shard from a non-living object, then it would turn to dust or ash in seconds. If I did it to a living being, it would kill them instead.

As I trekked back to my home, idly musing that I should find a way to pack more ammo onto my person, I almost failed to notice an important detail. Not far down the street from where I stood, in the night, was a group of armed men storming into a Dust store. I frowned, because they weren't Atlas or the Police, meaning it was likely either the White Fang or Roman Torchwick doing it.

''Guess home will have to wait'' I mused to myself as I approached the store, weapon drawn. I approached the shop when the window suddenly shattered, courtesy of a red-clad girl knocking one of the unknown thugs through the window, a giant red scythe unfolding with her. The girl, likely my age if not a year or two older/younger, wore a black blouse, black waist clincher with red trimmings and a skirt with a red trim also. A long red cloak floated behind her, her hair black with red endings to it. An unknown music track was playing from the headphones she had on, which she promptly turned off.

Three men charged out of the shop and I immediately took aim, using a low-powered scope by default. One of the men immediately charged the girl so I adjusted my aim to one of the others, pulling the trigger as the girl knocked out the man attacking her. The loud 'BANG' Judgement made her flinch in surprise, my bullet piercing one of the men's stomachs and hitting the shoulder of the other one, dropping the other two. A man ran out of the store, this one armed with a rifle, and fired a burst at me. I swiftly rolled out of the way and prepared to fire a stray shot when the unknown girl knocked him out with the blunt side of her scythe.

Finally one last man, Roman Torchwick, walked out of the store, eyeing us both, mainly me ''You were worth every cent, truly you were''.

I had my rifle trained on his chest, but he ignored it ''Well Red, Black, I think we can agree that this has been an eventful evening. And as much as I would like to stick around... I'm afraid this, is where we part ways''.

He aimed his cane at me and fired, sending a large flare towards me. I fired without hesitation, hitting the flare and exploding it prematurely but creating a cloud of dust that blinded me from seeing Torchwick. I looked over to the still-unknown girl and gave her a 'Where-he-go?' look and she shrugged, looking around until she found him climbing a ladder. I nodded to myself as I ran after the girl as she used her scythe to fire a found into the ground, launching her into the air onto the roof. Copying her with my sniper, I also boosted my way up there (may or may not have fired twice to match the girls height, she must be using higher calibre than I was).

I landed on the concrete roof just as the girl called out to Roman ''Hey!''.

''Persistent aren't you?'' Roman muttered as the air rumbled, revealing the source of the sound waves to be a Bullhead as it floated in front of the man. The door opened and he entered, the spotlight preventing me from firing precisely.

''End of the line, Kids!'' Roman yelled over the roar of the engines, tossing a fire crystal at us. Immediately I angled myself so the spotlight couldn't blind me and fired at the incoming flare like before, pre-detonating it and kicking the crystal away from us immediately. I unlocked the chamber at the back of Judgement and pulled out the rail, dropping it to the ground with a clank as I reached for my Explosive AP rounds, idly noting the unknown girl with me firing multiple rounds from her scythe at the ship. I grasped the Explosive AP rail and pulled it out through the collar, sliding it into Judgement and aiming.

With a loud bang I fired, bullet soaring and striking the engine facing us. It exploded on contact, making the airship lurch as it was thrown off balance by a lack of engine as I reloaded the bolt. I fired again, missing Roman by an inch as it exploded against the wall behind him, making him stumble in the already lurching aircraft. He stumbled towards the cockpit, another figure appearing in his place. It was clearly a woman from how she was dressed, but the shadows had precariously hidden her upper body, so it could be a crossdresser. Probably not though.

The airship once again began to leave and I fired towards the cockpit, piercing the glass but not killing the driver - probably Roman. I cocked the bolt back and fired again, only for a fireball to intercept it and explode into orange-ish shards that fell to the roof. Another fireball raced at us and I fired, sharpshooting the fireball and the shards falling around us, only for them to glow brightly. I shot the ground in front of me and used the recoil to roll away from the sudden pillar of flames that erupted where I stood, idly noting the girl had stopped shooting and was now just watching.

The ship was now picking up speed and that apparently drew my partner out of her stupor as her scythe compacted into a bulky shotgun-looking thing, which immediately began firing rounds in a pump-action style. I joined her, firing several rounds at the ship but they were all exploded before they could impact the ship. The woman on the ship waved her arm at us and five circles of soon-to-be flame pillars appear below us.

''Dodge!'' I barked, startling the girl. I used the recoil to dodge forward and the girl copied me, both of us barely making it. I stared as the ship doors closed and the Bullhead took off, flying away with one engine down. Loud clanking echoed behind us as I looked over my shoulder, a blonde woman with a riding crop staring at us. I idly noted she was Glynda Goodwitch, a teacher at Beacon.

''You're a huntress!'' The unknown girl said in awe, staring at Glynda with stars in her eyes ''Can I have your autograph?''.

''No''.

* * *

 **A/N: So how'd you guys like the first chapter? I know I will get a lot of backlash for Eien's 'Matter Manipulation' and his weapon of choice. In either the next chapter or the one after it I will explain why he chose to use a scythe and sniper, not because I randomly chose it and I picked it because it will have a symbolic meaning for him. On the note of his 'Matter Manipulation' it is powerful, but it also has some weaknesses, some I will list are;**

 **1) It requires him to focus on it, meaning he cannot do it while doing something else. While it has not been mentioned, he can actually hurt himself with his own ability, though he doesn't know this yet.**

 **2) If he loses control of his emotions (gets angry or upset) then he could potentially harm himself, his allies, and objects around him. While this may not seem like a major drawback it means that he has to be careful with his ability.**

 **3) His ability uses his Aura, meaning that he can't just do it endlessly. He CAN create limitless Lien(money) if he wants, but Eien is the protagonist OC and thus, is nice and wouldn't do such a thing without reason.**

 **4) A minor weakness, but it requires him to have physical contact with someone or something to work.**

 **5) I will state this now, but Eien will have a few mental disabilities. This will come into play later.**

 **6) He needs to know and understand the full make-up of the object. For example he can't just look at a bar of chocolate and recreate it, he has to know what it tastes like, what its made with, what it looks like, etc.**

 **On a final note, who would you want to be paired with Eien? I wanna include some romance into this story with my OC, so who?**

 **Hope you enjoyed~**


	2. Chapter 2: Beacon

**A/N: Eien's presence, especially in Beacon, will likely change large portions of the story up. The main canon plotline will likely still stay, but it will be adjusted and changed with his presence. Also, who would you want to be paired with Eien? Put your suggestion in PM's or Reviews, for now I'll tease at Ruby x Eien.**

 **Also, since I got a PM questioning Eien's age; 15.**

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 2: Beacon**

* * *

''I hope you realise that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, you two'' Glynda scolded as she walked around us ''You two put yourself and others in great danger''.

''They started it!'' The girl (I _still_ didn't know her name) defended.

Glynda ignored her ''If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back...''.

The girl smiled and I blinked.

''...and a slap on the wrist'' Glynda finished, slapping the riding crop in front of us and making the girl 'eep' while I just blinked again. It was a weird taste in weaponry.

''But... there is someone here who would like to meet you two'' Glynda said with reluctance in her tone, moving out of the way to reveal... Professor Ozpin?

''Ruby Rose'' He nodded to the girl, nodding to me a moment later ''Eien''.

I still lacked a last name, I was registered with one but I never knew my parents and thus refused to use their last name. He looked at both of us, gesturing to the scroll beside him ''Where did you learn to do this?''.

''Signal Academy?'' Ruby answered, slightly unsure.

''Myself'' I responded blandly.

He turned to Ruby ''They taught you to wield one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?''.

''Well, one teacher in particular'' Ruby said sheepishly and he nodded.

''And would you care to elaborate?'' He said, looking at me.

''I trained myself against Grimm in the forest outside Vale, have been since I was ten'' I shrugged and he raised an eyebrow, but said nothing on it. I only then realised he had a plate of cookies in his hand, placing them in front of us. I blinked at it, taking a singular cookie and nibbled on it idly, watching with amusement as Ruby shyly took one cookie, then another, then consumed what remained of them in a flurry of hand movements.

''You both possess great skill for a sniper and a scythe wielder'' Ozpin stated ''I only knew one other who used a scythe that well... a dusty old crow''.

Ruby made a noise that sounded like when someone was gagged, making Ozpin raise an eyebrow in amusement as she wiped her mouth ''Sorry, that's my uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at signal! I was complete garbage until he took me under his wing and now I'm all like Hooowaah! Witchaaa!''.

''So I've noticed'' Ozpin smiled faintly, interrupting her from making any more noises ''And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?''.

''Well... I want to be a Huntress''.

''You want to slay monsters?''.

''Yeah!'' She said, like it was obvious (though it kinda was) as she continued ''I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I'm going to apply for Beacon. You see my sisters starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought 'Hey I might as well make a career out of it'. I mean the police are alright, but Huntresses and Hunters are just so much more romantic and exciting, and really, gosh, you know?!''.

I chuckled at how fast she ended up speaking, making the girl blush furiously as she realised she went overboard ''Hehe... sorry''.

''And what reason do you have for becoming a Hunter?'' He asked me this time.

I cocked my head at him, my hood being down allowing them to see my blank face ''...Purpose, really. I see no other occupation that gives me the amount of opportunity that being a Hunter does. It perks my curiosity''.

''Do you know who I am?'' Ozpin asked us both, but I allowed Ruby to answer in my steed.

''You're Professor Ozpin'' Ruby said with a slight shrug ''You're the headmaster of Beacon''.

''Hello'' Ozpin said in amusement.

''Nice to meet you'' Ruby smiled.

''Hi'' I say blandly.

He donned a serious face ''So, you want to come to my school?''.

''More than anything'' Ruby answered.

''Yes'' I nodded.

Ozpin glanced at Glynda, who let out a 'Hmph' and looked away, rolling her eyes as Ozpin turned to us ''Well okay''.

I blinked while Ruby smiled widely.

I did not see that coming.

* * *

Its a nice view at least...

I was wearing my usual combat outfit, though I had added a bandana to put over the lower half of my face, covering everything below my eyes. I had my hood up, meaning that it would be nearly impossible to see my face, only my pale blue eyes if you were shorter than me, and I was 5'5 so that would be difficult. Funnily enough since both me and Ruby were entering Beacon, we were both the two youngest students to ever attend the school. I feel like I should be honoured, but I know he didn't do it on a whim, there was likely a reason behind it.

I didn't see Ruby when I came on the airship, so it was possible she took another ship or was somewhere else in the crowd. Shrugging to myself I returned my gaze to the ocean as we passed over the large body of water to the Academy. I ignored the world around me as I fished through my memories, entertaining myself with my ability to review others memories. The ship jolting was the thing returning me to the present, realising that we had landed I made my way towards the exit of the ship, Judgement in its sniper form over my shoulder as I walked.

I passed a kid throwing up in a trashcan, resisting the urge to grimace at the action. I didn't show any physical reaction as I passed him, stopping when I reached the main path - far enough away from the bridge so I wasn't blocking anyone - and admired the architecture that was Beacon Academy. I was, once again, brought out of my thoughts when a crowd rushed passed me, all but blurring towards the main building. I blinked, looking in the opposite direction to where they came and was mildly surprised to see Ruby, dazed and confused.

I walked up to her, grabbing her shoulder before she fell onto someone's luggage trolley, I was only a little taller than her ''Hi Ruby''.

She jumped, broken out of her daze ''E-Eh?''.

I reached up and pulled down my bandana ''Its Eien''.

Her face lit up in recognition ''Oh, Hi Eien!''.

I let go as she regained her balance ''I assume you got caught up in that stampede?''.

She sighed ''That was my sister abandoning me for her friends''.

I frowned slightly, but she immediately replied ''I don't mean she normally does that or anything! Yang's a really cool sister I don't hate her or anything-''.

I covered her mouth and chuckled ''Calm. Down''.

When I removed my hand she blushed in embarrassment ''Eheh, sorry''.

''Its fine'' I smiled as I began walking towards the school, Ruby following ''So what was that weapon you were using yesterday?''.

''My baby, Crescent Rose'' She smiled widely as she pulled out its compacted form from her lower back, extending it into its scythe form.

''Convertible Scythe?'' I questioned, cocking my head at her like a cat.

''Its also a customizable, high-impact Sniper Rifle'' She smiled proudly ''What about you?''.

I unslung Judgement ''High Calibre convertible Sniper, I use different ammo types depending on the situation, it also-''.

Judgement transformed, extending into its sleek Scythe form ''-A Scythe, though I use it less than its sniper form''.

Ruby grinned ''So we both use Sniper-Scythes!''.

I chuckled ''Yes, it seems so''.

''By the way, where are we going?''.

''No clue''.

''Dammit''.

* * *

Eventually we found our way to the assembly, and Ruby found her sister Yang and almost dragged me over. I was probably a rather odd looking person, since I was shorter than most other students and wore a hooded trench coat with a bandana hiding my features.

''Hi sis!'' Her sister, who I knew as Yang, smiled before she blinked in confusion at me ''And... random guy''.

''Yang, meet Eien. Eien, meet Yang'' Ruby introduced us.

''Hello'' I nodded to her.

''Yo'' She grinned back, but her eyes still held instinctual caution. Our attention was drawn elsewhere as Ozpin walked onto the stage, speaking.

''I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. You need a purpose, a direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step'' He said before walking off stage.

''You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation will begin. Be ready, you're dismissed'' Glynda finished.

* * *

''Its like a big~ slumber party'' Yang grinned as she fell onto the bed beside me.

''I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though'' I sighed back at her, knowing what was coming.

''I know I do'' Yang purred until she randomly grinned wider ''Look over there Rubes, its your buddy Eien''.

I looked over my shoulder and blushed slightly at him. Since he was no longer wearing his black trench coat it allowed you to see the lean and toned body underneath, even if he was wearing a black vest and pants. On his shoulder was the end of a what looked like to be a scar, but with the shirt on it was hard to tell. He had chin-length dark brown hair that was slightly wavy and cool blue eyes, like a really light blue.

He walked over to us, sitting on his sleeping bag and smiled ''Hello again''.

''Hi Eien'' We both smiled in greeting.

''What's that?'' Eien inquired, nodding to the note in front of me.

''A letter back to my friends at Signal, I promised to tell them all about Beacon, and how I'm doing'' I explained to the duo and Eien nodded.

''That's so cuuute~'' Yang sang, getting a pillow to the face - courtesy of me.

''What about you, are you going to write back home Eien?'' I questioned to my equally young friend.

He shook his head ''I said my goodbyes before I left, and its only been one day so I see no adequate reason to write back to them''.

''I see'' I nodded before smiling at him ''You never told me earlier about your different ammo''.

He nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips ''Most types or variations on Dust Rounds or Dust Crystals I have converted into my own ammo for my weapon, which I named Judgement''.

''Ooh'' I whistled ''Do you think Crescent Rose could use them?''.

He hummed ''Maybe. I recommend Explosive Rounds or Anti-Material Rounds, the recoil they give are good for manoeuvrability, I can give you some before initiation tomorrow?''.

''You sure?'' I questioned ''You don't need them?''.

''I've got plenty'' He smiled.

I smiled in turn ''Thanks then''.

''Aww~ You two are so cuuute!'' Yang said, getting another pillow in the face from a red-faced me.

''Well Ruby is quite cute'' Eien smiled amicably, making me turn a dark red from his compliment, made worse when Yang sent 'suggesting' looks between us.

Eien just kept smiling, seemingly oblivious.

* * *

''For years you have trained to be warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest'' Ozpin started, tone even.

''Now, I'm sure many of you have heard about the rumour of assignment of teams. Well allow us to put an end to your confusion; each of you will be given teammates, today'' Glynda continued.

Ruby made a 'what-ohhhh' noise in despair.

''These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well with'' Ozpin continued, and Ruby made another despairing sound.

''That being said, the first person you make eye-contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years'' Ozpin stated.

The sound of shattering glass could be heard as Ruby made a shrill 'What?!', but evidently was ignored.

''See? I told you'' An orange-haired girl said smugly to her apparent friend.

''Due to an.. irregularity of students this year, there will be a three-man team this year - unless one of you were to die that is'' Ozpin stated, making me acknowledge it was probably because of me and Ruby's presence that did that ''You will be notified through your scrolls on who will make up the three-man team''.

''After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die'' Ozpin ended in a deadly tone, before continuing ''You will be monitored and graded throughout the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene''.

Ozpin continued ''You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics, each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Any questions?''.

''Uh yeah, sir?'' A blonde boy asked timidly, but was cut off by Ozpin.

''Good, now take your positions''.

Everyone fell into stances, but a blonde boy spoke again ''Um sir, I've got a question''.

I pulled my hood up and masked my face with the bandana, and whatever the blonde boy said was obscured as I shot through the air. As I reached the pinnacle of the arc I slowed for only a moment before continuing the downward arc towards the forest. I unslung Judgement and aimed it forward, firing a round as it slightly slowed my descent. I repeated this until I ran dry, still going at a rather fast pace. I transformed Judgement into its Scythe form and used it like a hook, swinging around on a branch and dragging it along trees to slow down, rolling to lose the rest of my momentum as Judgement transformed.

Immediately I reached into my coat via the neck hole, my fingers dusting over the different rails of bullet and receiving a different feeling back from them. Corrosion felt bubbly, shock felt electric, flame felt hot, etc. I found the standard .338 (Which gave no feeling, since they were not infused with Dust) and took the rail out, sliding it into the back of Judgement's sniper form. I scanned the area around me, and once I checked that no Grimm were in my immediate radius I began moving in the opposite direction of Beacon where the Relics will likely be.

After three minutes of walking I heard a rustling to the right drew my attention, I raised my rifle and spoke in a hostile tone ''Grimm?''.

''Eien?'' Ruby's voice spoke as her head poked out of a bush.

''Ruby?'' I repeated back and smiled ''Hello''.

''Hi!'' She chirped happily as she walked out of the bush, followed by someone I identified as Weiss Schnee.

''Hello'' I nodded to the other girl, who nodded back. A beeping from our scrolls alerted us and we took said scrolls from our various pockets, mine from my pant pocket. It was a basic one that the academy had put in our lockers, and only displayed a single message; 'Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose and Eien will form the first three man team, congrats -Ozpin'.

''Huh'' I hummed ''Guess we're the three man team then?''.

''Yay!'' Ruby sang happily, only for Weiss to storm off, towards where I was heading ''W-Wait!''.

Ruby ran after the girl and I followed at a more languid pace, keeping an eye out for Grimm.

* * *

''That was number ten'' I say as I walked out of the bushes with the two girls behind me, steam blowing off the muzzle of Judgement as I watched the corpse of an Ursa disintegrate ''I expected a Deathstalker or two at least''.

''Don't jinx us!'' Weiss hissed.

''It wouldn't be much trouble'' I say before adding ''Unless they're _really_ old''.

''Have you fought a Deathstalker before?'' Ruby asked, trying to start a conversation obviously.

''Mm, a dozen or so in the span of five years'' I shrugged ''But you don't see many up at Mountain Glenn, which is where I've been hunting Grimm foe the past year''.

''You hunt Grimm?'' She asked curiously.

I nodded ''That's how I've trained myself, instead of going to a Combat School''.

Ruby made a noise of understanding ''How many?''.

I cocked my head ''...I don't have my notepad on me, so I don't know. When we get back I'll check what my tally is, what about you?''.

''Hehe... I don't know either'' Ruby giggled ''What about you, Weiss?''.

Weiss made a 'Hmph' noise ''I wouldn't waste my time recording how many kills I have gotten, that's barbaric''.

I smiled as we walked into a small clearing ''Well I guess we're barbarians then''.

Weiss scoffed but said nothing, not that she could as the bushes around the clearing rustled, followed by a bunch of Grimm. Immediately I aimed and fired a round, pulling the bolt back and pushing it in, transforming it into Scythe mode. Ruby charged at them with Crescent Rose already drawn and Weiss was not far behind. I took the rear while the duo took the other half of the clearing, slashing and shooting at their opponents.

I spun Judgement around and smacked the blunt end of the scythe into the mask of a Beowulf, stunning it only for its neck to meet the blade a moment later, head rolling off as I moved to the next one. With practiced ease I twirled the blade and slashed down the torso of another Beowulf, spinning and firing a shot into its head as a finisher and using the recoil to avoid a slash to my chest. I waited until one wolf got close enough and uppercut it with the blunt end of my scythe before jumping on its back, aiming at its back and firing.

I used the recoil to propel myself into the air, firing behind me to gain gravitational speed and brought both feet up and crashed into a Beowulf's face with all the force of a freight train. I used its decaying face as a springboard and back-flipped and decapitated another Beowulf, raising the shaft of the blade to block a claw and kicking the assailant in the chest before firing a round into its skull through the end of the shaft. I spun and aimed again, blasting a hole in a Grimm that was flanking me. With a loud thug the Grimm hit the ground, and the clearing was silent again sans heavy breathing.

''Just some Beowolves'' I stated, taking out another rail of .338 rounds as I evened my breathing ''Lets keep moving''.

''Yeah...'' Ruby nodded, only slightly winded as was Weiss. Silently we proceeded through the forest, weapons at the ready for any further attacks.

* * *

I slashed the shrubbery in front of us, leading us into an open clearing. I walked out into the large grassy plain, noting the large circle ruins with two other people in it.

''Yang!'' Ruby cried out in happiness, blurring over to her sister and tackling her in a hug while me and Weiss moved at a more languid pace.

''Hello Yang, ...?'' I paused at the second girl, wearing a theme of black with bright gold eyes.

''Blake Belladonna'' The now-named Blake introduced with a polite nod.

''Eien'' I nodded back ''No surname''.

She nodded in understanding and I looked at the semi-circle of chess pieces ''I presume these are the relics?''.

''It would seem so'' Weiss concluded, examining them.

''Which one should we pick?'' I asked, nudging Ruby to include her in the decision.

''What about the White Knight?'' Ruby suggested.

I shrugged ''Sure''.

''I see no problem with it'' Weiss nodded and the red-clad girl picked up the item, just as a person flew overhead and crashed into the tree next to the relic area. Yang opened her mouth to say something, only for the treeline to our right to begin crashing into splinters as an Ursa tumbled into the clearing, only for an explosion of lilac behind it to down the large Grimm.

From the Ursa's back a young teen fell off, orange hair flailing ''Aw, its broken''.

''Nora...'' Ren spoke as he walked out from behind the Ursa ''Please... never do that again''.

But Nora had already gone to the relic station as fast as a blur and grabbed her piece, dancing and singing until Ren called her back tiredly. A loud screech echoed as a Pyrrha entered the clearly with a Deathstalker on her tail, missing her by inches with its claw. A few moments later saw her getting knocked towards us, landing on the ground roughly.

''Great the gangs all here, now we can die together!'' Yang said dryly.

''I'd rather not'' I say equally as dryly, analysing their weapons in the span of ten seconds before deciding to take charge, since nobody else was ''Alright; Yang and Pyrrha, I need you to attack the Deathstalker from the front and keep its attention on you while I get set up, when I give you the signal move out of the way. Jaune I need you with me to cover me encase any Grimm attack while I'm occupied. The rest of you distract the Nevermore until the Deathstalker has been dealt with, then run to the treeline to our right side and wait there. Got it?''.

I received a collection of affirmatives as everyone save Jaune ran off, Pyrrha and Yang straight ahead towards the Deathstalker while the others went to the left and began unloading into the Nevermore. I made a 'follow-me' gesture to Jaune and run off towards the treeline, I slashed at the trees and knocked several of them over, making a mini-clearing. I reached into my coat and pulled out a rail of ammo and let a soul shard float into it, carefully placing myself in front of it so Jaune can't see, and picture it into an effective weapon...

With a flash, it transformed into an Atlas AA Launcher. It consisted of a circular metal plate with four extended legs that held it slightly above the ground, a cylinder body above the plate and two rectangles with four pods with rockets in them. The rectangles, which were the launchers, were angled in a diagonal manner with the rocket pods on the elevated side.

''That's that'' I stated to Jaune as I moved back into the larger clearing, dropping into a prone position. A low growl beside us grew our attention and I narrowed my eyes at the Beowulf entering the clearing, with a wordless jerk of my head I gestured for Jaune to deal with it, which he did with hesitance. I reached inside my jacket and lowered my hand down to my stomach, where my Maximum Calibre Rounds were. I hefted the large round out, which looked more akin to a small artillery shell at this point (though that was the intention). 350mm long compared to the 70mm Lapua .338 rounds.

I removed the current, nearly empty rail and sheathed it in my coat and slid the MC/EI-Round. I dug the bipod in and got into a position where I wouldn't lose my arm from the insane recoil, aiming and focusing on the Deathstalkers face. I peeked over my shoulder, noting that Jaune had killed the Beowulf and panting.

''Tell them to get out of the way'' I order coolly and the teen nodded shakily.

''Pyrrha!'' He yelled, drawing the attention of the warrior, watching as the blonde teen gestured to me. She nodded and grabbed Yang by the bicep, running out of the way while leaving the Deathstalker to take note of us because of Jaune's yelling.

''Bye, Bye'' I mocked the Grimm, pulling the trigger. It created an ear-shattering 'BOOM!' as the oversized round shot out like a bolt of lightning, imbedding into the Deathstalkers face and making it screech in pain. A moment later the hole flashed before the Deathstalker exploded into a firebomb, its armour turning its insides into its own tomb as the explosive incendiary round blew its back open, setting its corpse on fire as it began decaying. The sound of the MC/EI round firing attracted the attention of the others, who followed my previous orders perfectly by running towards us to the treeline.

I got up and also did so, entering the bushes over to the AA gun. Moments later the rest of the students came into the treeline and waded their way over to me, widening their eyes slightly at the AA gun.

''Wha...?'' Weiss murmured.

''Don't ask'' I shrugged, a loud squawking drawing my attention to the Nevermore circling above us ''How many of you have ranged weapons or guns?''.

''I do~'' The Ursa-riding ginger from earlier sang, her hammer transforming into a grenade launcher. Blake silently nodded as she hefted her weapon up, Ruby nodded and pumped her scythe, Yang grinned, Pyrrha nodded as her weapon transformed into a rifle and the last teen, who was with the girl from earlier, nodded and hefted his guns up.

''I have ranged attacks, if that is what you mean'' Weiss stated, the cylinder on her weapon glowing slightly.

I nodded, fishing for my Cryo rounds ''Do any of you have ice-based attacks?''.

''I do'' Weiss said, the cylinder pausing on a light blue colour and glowing faintly.

''I uh... don't have any'' Jaune said despairingly.

I nodded ''Then you're the bait''.

''Eh?'' Jaune blurted.

''Just leave the trees and draw the attention of the Nevermore, fake being injured and don't directly provoke it'' I explained ''When it gets close enough the AA Launcher will stun it, myself and Weiss will freeze its wings and then the rest of us will unleash a hailstorm of bullets''.

''O-Okay...'' Jaune gulped, sneaking towards the treeline and walking out, looking at the sky. He made a weird mix of pained noises that sounded like a from a bad movie, but it did the job of drawing the attention of the bird. It squawked loudly and circled once more before diving down, prompting Jaune to freeze and look back at us nervously. The AA gun beside us made a 'bleep' noise as a thin red laser came out of it, homing in on the airborne Grimm before with a thunderous roar all eight rockets fired, racing at the Grimm and exploding on contact.

It screeched loudly as it flailed, one or two of the rockets missing and exploding in the air behind it. I aimed and fired at its left wing, the bullet piercing its flesh and creating a large ice flower on its wing. I pulled the bolt back and did it again, creating another one. A trail of circular glyphs trained up to its other wing and freezing it whole, I spared a glance at the heiress and she responded with a 'in-your-face' smirk. The Nevermore screeched as it fell to the ground, nearly squashing Jaune as the skittish teen ran back to us.

''Open Fire'' I commanded as I began unloading more rounds into it, and everyone dutifully followed as a hail of bullets were sent forth, attacking the downed and wounded bird Grimm. Ice, Explosive, Fire and a bit of lightning swarmed over the Grimm as its screeches were drowned out under the thundering storm. Only after everyone simultaneously ran out of ammo did we stop firing, the decaying corpse of the Nevermore proof of our deed.

''We did it!'' Ruby cheered as everyone smiled in relief, not one of them noticing the disintegrating AA Gun.

* * *

''Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces, from this day forward you will work together as Team CRDL(Cardinal), led by... Cardin Winchester'' Ozpin announced and clapping echoed throughout the auditorium as they left the stage and four more came up.

''Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces, from this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR(Juniper)'' Ozpin stated as Nora hugged Ren ''Lead by... Jaune Arc''.

Said teen let out a confused 'Huh?' and Ozpin gave him a curt congratulations before they moved on, ignoring how Pyrrha knocked Jaune down with a simple punch.

''Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long and Eien'' Ozpin read off ''From this day forth, you will work together as Team ERWBY(A Ruby)''.

''Lead by... Eien''.

Out of seemingly thin air, Eien pulled out a party favour and blew on it, making a high pitched 'bzzz' and getting a laugh from the spectators.

Ozpin nodded to himself, murmuring ''It looks like this, will be an interesting year... for sure''.

* * *

It was six o'clock sharp when I woke up in our new dorm room, courtesy of the hospital mainly opening at six in the morning therefore meaning it was best for me to wake up early to have the privacy I desired. Due to the new addition of my teammates, who were all sound asleep, I had to stealthily sneak into the bathroom to have a quick shower and get dressed. Upon leaving the bathroom I was satisfied to see my teammates still asleep, and went and sat on my bed, pulling out a book on Dust Physics from my trusty duffel bag.

It wasn't until quarter to eight when the first of my teammates began to stir awake, that teammate being Blake. My bed was at the right wall, Blake to my left, then Yang, then Weiss, then Ruby at the left wall. A large window was between Yang's and Weiss's. We had been given a special dorm to accommodate the extra space required for a fifth person, the room being slightly longer and along the hall from JNPR. Blake softly shuffled out of her covers, blinking blearily and eyes showing mild surprise at seeing me awake.

''Good morning'' I smiled, speaking quietly.

''Morning'' She replied as she gathered her uniform, heading towards the bathroom without another word. Meanwhile I return to my book, mind working as I read of the details pertaining to each type of Dust Crystal and their current (public) applications. Yang woke up ten minutes later, at the same time when Blake exited the bathroom in her uniform.

''Morning~'' She greeted us.

''Good Morning'' I smiled at her as Blake did the same.

''What's that?'' Blake asked curiously, sitting on her bed.

''A book on Dust Physics'' I answered coolly ''Mainly just technological stuff opposed to fiction''.

''I see'' Blake murmured as she took her own book out, reading hers. We lapsed into a nice silence, only for it to be broken as Ruby yawned herself awake five minutes later, sleepily getting up.

''Morning'' She chirped sleepily and we return the greeting, sliding out of bed and getting her bathroom supplies ''I guess Yang is in the shower?''.

Before either me of Blake could respond said teen came out of the bathroom in her uniform ''Morning sis, bathroom's free''.

''Thanks'' Ruby said as she went in, Yang sighed and sat at her own bed.

''We still need to unpack'' Yang stated and I chuckled in embarrassment.

''Sorry, I should've woke you guys earlier then'' I smiled apologetically ''I woke up at six''.

Yang waved me off ''Nah its cool''.

''Its no problem'' Blake smiled.

''Should we wake up Weiss?'' I questioned, nodding towards the still sleeping heiress.

Yang hummed and smiled ''Nah, let her sleep for a _tiny_ bit longer''.

''Okay'' I nodded, returning to my book. Five minutes later Ruby came out of the bathroom dressed in her uniform, smiling cheerfully ''Now should we wake Weiss up?''.

''Sure'' Yang said, rolling her eyes. I went over to the heiresses bed and gently shook her shoulder, stirring the white-haired girl awake.

''Mm?'' She slurred sleepily.

''Time to get up'' I stated to her, and after a few seconds she nodded and I went back to my own bed, picking my book up again. Three pages later, Blake's voice drew my attention out of my thoughts.

''We need to unpack'' I looked up as Blake got her suitcase out, the rest of us following her lead.

* * *

After twenty-five minutes later, the room has been vastly changed.

Bookshelves were on both sides of Blake's bed, while I had one of my own shelf at the end of my bed, facing the wall. A black storage box was under my bed alongside my duffel, Weiss put up a painting above her bed, Yang put up a few posters above hers and on the walls, while Ruby attempted to cut the curtains (With me stopping her just before she did so). We pushed the wooden desks to the wall with the door on it, and now we stood in the centre of the room admiring our work.

''I think we did a good job'' Ruby smiled.

''I agree'' I nodded approvingly as I looked at the alarm clock ''We've still got half-an-hour until classes are open''.

''Hm... what to do?'' Ruby thought before looking at me with another smile ''What about your notepad? You said you had a tally?''.

I nodded, walking over to my bed with Ruby in tow as the other three went about on their own stuff; Yang pulling out a magazine, Blake taking out a book and Weiss looking through her stuff. I sat down on my bed and pulled my duffel out from under the bed, unzipping it and fishing out for my notepad. Ruby sat on my bed next to me as I found the notepad, a simple handheld booklet with a leathery cover. I passed her the booklet and she opened it, looking at the pages as I was content to watch.

* * *

The first couple of pages were the tally's, as in there was so many they were several pages long. 443 Beowolves, 85 Boarbatusk, 50 Ursa, 14 Deathstalkers, 4 Nevermore, 2 King Taijitu and even a Goliath! The pages after that was a complete dissection of the Grimm, stating their weak points, Dust weaknesses, strengths, pack size, habitat, everything! The pages after that was about Mountain Glenn, the type of Grimm present and the ratio, locations within the city, various key locations and several campsites he's made. It was essentially an entire guide to Grimm, for all intents and purposes.

''Its really well done'' I smiled at him, returning the notepad.

''Thanks'' He returned the smile, putting the notepad into his duffel again and glancing at the clock ''We should probably go now, its ten to nine now''.

''Okay~'' I sang ''Lets... go~!''.

Eien chuckled and got up ''Yeah, lets go''.

* * *

''Monsters! Demons... Prowlers of the night! Yes the creatures of Grimm have many names'' Professor Port listed ''But I merely refer to them, as prey!''.

You could hear a cricket chirping it was so quiet, but the man was only slightly deterred ''Uh, and you will too upon graduating this prestigious academy!''.

''Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world'' He went on ''Our world is teeming with creatures who would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces!''.

''Hunters, Huntresses'' He made a clicking noise and winked at Yang, who laughed awkwardly ''Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask... the very world!''.

''Eyyy-Yeah!'' A student cheered, but quickly sat down again.

''That is what you are training to become'' Port continued ''But first, a story''.

Despite being interested in class, I let him drone on without actually listening, rather watching Ruby entertain herself. Weiss gradually became more irritated by her teammates actions and I considered, as team leader, to calm her down. However I could see that the potential beyond that, that if Weiss got angry with Ruby, explained _why_ she was angry and therefore confessing most of her troubles with having Ruby as a teammate, then when they made up it would strengthen their bonds because they understood the other better.

Blake also noticed the tension building in the Schnee and spared me a glance, but I shook my head a negative. She got the message.

So when port asked if any of them thought they were 'the embodiment of these traits', the Schnee heiress was the first to raise her hand.

''I do Sir!''.

''Well then, lets find out'' Port stated, looking at the cage to his right ''Step forward, and meet your opponent!''.

* * *

This will be interesting...

''Go~ Weiss!'' Yang cheered.

''Fight well!'' Blake added.

''Yeah represent Team ERWBY!'' Ruby cheered as well, only to get a scolding. I stayed silent, but from the glance she shot my way she acknowledged I was observing silently, and she focused on her opponent.

''Alright, let the match... begin!'' He stated, knocking off the lock and allowing us to see a Boarbatusk. Once again I stayed silent and observed as she charged the Boarbatusk, slashing at the side of its face and striking its armour.

''Haha! Weren't expecting that were you?'' Port asked rhetorically.

''Strike its underbelly'' I stated coolly to the heiress, who heard me and nodded with determination. The Boarbatusk charged Weiss and the teen side-stepped the attack and let the beast crash into the wall behind her before hopping above it and spearing it through the stomach, making the Grimm squeal as it flailed before it died off.

''Bravo! Bra-vo!'' Port congratulated ''It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have today, be sure to cover the assigned readings and remember, stay vigilant! Class dismissed!''.

Weiss scowled faintly and with a dignified huff, stormed out of the classroom. Ruby immediately went after her despite her teams light protests, leaving us to walk out on our own, since it was the first class we didn't need our books.

''I'll go after them'' I informed my two teammates and they nodded, heading with JNPR back to the dorms. I went down the opposite hallway and turned a corner, just in time to see Weiss storm around another corner down the hall and Ruby slump against the wall.

''Ruby?'' I sighed and the girl looked up me, tears threatening to prick the corner of her eyes ''What did she say?''.

''T-That I shouldn't be at Beacon...'' She murmured, voice showing the sadness the harsh words of the ice princess brought ''And t-that I was just a s-stupid kid...''.

I sighed again, doing the only logical thing of pulling the upset teen into a hug ''Its a normal human reaction, to be jealous or hold distaste for something that isn't normal, why do you think the Faunus are hated so ferociously? Because human nature drives the majority to dislike anything that is different, for better or worse. Weiss is probably just frustrated with someone who is two years her junior being allowed into Beacon, and that frustration leads her to be overconfident in her solo abilities and when she fails, be it big or small, it increases her frustration as she targets you to vent on''.

All through my small speech she stayed silent, resting her head on my shoulder as I continued ''Just forget about what she said, alright? Ozpin allowed you to come to this school two years early for a reason, not just because he did it on a whim. Weiss will get over it sooner or later, so don't worry about it, alright?''.

Ruby nodded slightly as she broke off from the hug, cheeks a rosy red. I pulled a bullet out of my pocket and altered it with a shard of my soul, turning it into a cookie.

I smiled, pulling out an oversized cookie that I had hid behind me ''Good. Here''.

Troubles visibly forgotten, Ruby's eyes went wide as she took the cookie in a flash, nibbling on it ''Where did you find this?!''.

''I have my ways'' I smiled, ruffling her hair slightly as she blushed at the action ''I'll need some help in the workshop, a new weapon design, meet me there in ten?''.

''Okay!'' She beamed happily, blush bright before disappearing in a flurry of rose petals, cookie in hand. Now that that was done, I headed down the direction Weiss went, taking several corridors until I found Weiss, standing on a small balcony grumbling to herself. I stopped walking when I was a foot or two behind her, coughing lightly to draw her attention, which she did after jumping.

''Eien?'' She questioned in confusion before apparently coming to the conclusion, and scowled ''What do you want?''.

''To talk'' I stated bluntly, my face having gone back to its default blankness ''Why are you so antagonistic at Ruby?''.

''Because she is a damn child!'' Weiss snapped, all traces of composure lost ''Why should she be allowed into Beacon _two years_ early, when I have trained for most of my life?! Its not _fair_!''.

''You're smart enough to know that she wouldn't be let into Beacon two years early on a whim, so its obvious she's skilled'' I interrupted ''You also realise that I am the same age as her, therefore I should also be taking fire instead of Ruby alone''.

Weiss scoffed, continuing her rant ''Perhaps you are the same age as her, but you've proven yourself back in the emerald forest. You led eight people that ended up in taking down a Nevermore and Deathstalker with minimal injuries, and you've proven that you're equally as skilled as the rest of the student body - you're made to be a leader''.

I smiled, silently taking the complement ''Yes, but despite what you may think Ruby is also a natural leader''.

Weiss looked at me like I was crazy ''Are you kidding? That dunce can barely fight against a pack of Beowolves without getting in someone's way! Namely mine!''.

''So are you saying that you would be a better leader than Ruby?'' I asked and the heiress nodded firmly ''Then why, during the span of ten seconds before I took charge, did you not take charge instead? There was a sixth of a minute to decide, so you had plenty of time to do so''.

She hesitated ''Well... I... I was distracted! I was too busy thinking how to get rid of the Deathstalker and Nevermore!''.

''Then why, when I took charge, did you follow instead of taking control from me?''.

''Because everyone else agreed, so I saw no reason to disagree'' She said crisply.

''And what if Ruby took control and everyone agreed? Would you intervene and try to pry control from her on accounts of being younger in age?'' I persisted and she hesitated again.

''Well, if everyone agreed it would be a waste of time to take control of the situation, since she would already have done so'' Weiss stated bitterly ''But she didn't, so I don't know why we are having the conversation''.

''The reason we are having this conversation is because I want you to see the facts'' I stated to her gently ''Ruby, while younger, is here because she has the potential to be a huntress without having completed the final two years at Signal. I myself have never been to a combat school prior, only training myself by fighting Grimm in the wild, and Ozpin also saw fit to allow me into Beacon''.

''You may have worked harder than most to attain the current position you've got, but that does not mean that those who have not put in equal effort are not worthy of being in your team, _our_ team'' I said firmly, but gently ''All five of us will be on a team for the next four years, and I doubt Ozpin will change that because of infighting. We need to work together to succeed, both against Grimm and against others in competitions, okay?''.

Weiss huffed but gave a hesitant nod, sighing ''I shouldn't have yelled at her, should I?''.

I shook my head ''You can still apologise, and knowing Ruby she'll accept it''.

Weiss bit her lip and huffed again, but conceded with a nod. I walked off the balcony and heard her follow me as I led her down the halls to the workshop, the sound of metal being shuffled about. We walked into the large but compact room and Ruby poked her head out from around the corner, only to tense up at seeing Weiss. At my gesture she came out from behind it, wringing her hands awkwardly.

''Weiss'' I said, leaving it at that.

Said girl sighed, crossing her arms and looking away ''I'm... sorry, for yelling at you. I was just annoyed that you got into Beacon two years earlier than I did... and I was being undignified, and I'm sure you're more than capable for being here at Beacon-''.

Her apology was cut off as Ruby hugged Weiss, prompting the heiress girl to blurt out in embarrassment; ''Wha- get off me y-you dunce!''.

Ruby just giggled as she let Weiss go, smiling at the flustered Weiss. The tension previously in the room was gone as Weiss scowled lightly, faking annoyance but the (carefully hidden) relief present.

''Hmph, I'll leave you dunces to your own devices'' Weiss stated, pretending to be annoyed but I caught the hint of a smile as she left.

After she left Ruby smiled ''So~ you wanna get started on this new weapon?''.

I smiled back ''Sure''.

* * *

Two weeks later...

They were gathered in the combat hall, everyone sitting in the stands as they watched the entirely one-sided fight between Jaune and Cardin. A translucent barrier surrounded the arena to protect the crowd and in some cases the combatants, shown when Jaune crashed into the barrier and Cardin stood over him, mace raised only for Glynda to interrupt them. With a crisp comment both students left the stage, and everyone awaited for the next duo to be called.

''Next match... Pyrrha Nikos vs Eien'' Glynda listed, surprising the two combatants and their teams. While logically it was fine, it was their choice of weapons that would make it difficult. Pyrrha used a shield, which could block bullets, and a sword-javelin-rifle while I used a Scythe and Sniper, meaning that he would be fast but mostly fire from range.

Dismissing my concerns I got up from the stands and spared a friendly smile for Pyrrha, who returned it. We both went to our own sides of the stage, and I dumped all my Corrosion-based Rounds, Semblance-piercing Rounds, and other rounds that would not be used for a spar. Judging from the flat looks JNPR and my own team were sending me, they probably thought the amount I carried was excessive. Couldn't blame them I guess. Again, dismissing those thoughts I walked onto the stage and unslung Judgement into its sniper form, holding it over my chest. I shared one last friendly smile with Pyrrha, signifying that whatever happened in this battle didn't mean anything outside of this battle.

''While I understand that things happen in combat, please try to limit the damage to the arena and the barrier around it. You _will_ stop when one of you are at 10% health or when I say so, am I clear?'' She asked and got a grunt from both of us ''Very Well... Three, two, one... Go!''.

I immediately fell to one knee and fired, in response the crimson haired warrior raised her shield and blocked the bullet with ease. I transformed Judgement into its Scythe mode and fired behind me, kicking me forward with the recoil, I swung at her shield and a loud 'clang' and a series of sparks shot off at the impact. I fired a shot just before she could counter with her Xiphos sword, the bullet grazing her shoulder and costing her some of her Aura. I flipped backwards with the recoil and skidded onto my knees, firing Judgement again while it was in its Scythe form.

The bullet bounced off her shield, as well as the second one. I reached into my coat with practiced ease and pulled out another five-round rail magazine, slamming it into the weapon and jumping back in time to dodge her sword. I spun my weapon around me and blocked her sword, firing and rolling to my right to avoid a shield bash. My hood was down but my bandana was up, hiding my small smile as I fired at my feet, sending me into the air as I turned my body in the air so that my feet were facing up and my head towards the ground.

I fired once, the recoil kicking me back with enough - temporary - force to keep my feet pinned to the ceiling. She deflected the bullet like always, but my second one scathed her forearm. In a flash her own weapon had transformed into a rifle, and I let gravity drop me down in time to avoid her own bullet - unlike her I had no defensive item besides my Aura to block bullets, and since this was a battle of Aura it was imperative I kept it as high as possible. I glanced down at my waist where I strapped my scroll, and where our current Aura metres were.

 _Pyrrha: 85% / Eien: 85%_

I mentally nodded, it wasn't too bad considering my opponent - though I had no doubt this could change in an instant. With that in mind I shot towards her, using the recoil to increase the distance between us as I took out another rail of .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, sliding them into my scythe while the spare rail went back into my coat. Pyrrha charged me and I spun my scythe, the blade clashing against her shield while the shaft knocked her Xiphos sword off point. A shot at my feet and I was airborne again, though this time I fired at the roof above me and sent myself hurling towards the ground. With an almost deafening 'CLANG' my blade clashed against her shield as I almost knocked her off her feet, only her training keeping her standing.

I had less than a second to fire and avoid her counter attack, though I did get a slash to the shoulder for my troubles. With one round left in the chamber I cleared some distance again as I reached for another rail, only to be surprised as she charged me like a ram. However my surprise faded as instinct and reflexes took control, I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my secondary hand cannon, making Pyrrha widen her eyes in surprise. I fired with a deafening 'BANG' as the HE round exploded against her, sending her tumbling back from the unexpected counter attack as I slid another rail of ammo in before falling into stance, just as Pyrrha got up again.

''I know that one of my major weaknesses is my reload time and small magazine capacity, so it would be foolish not to have a back-up plan to counter that weakness'' I say as I hefted the gun, barrel smoking as I glanced at my scroll ''I named it Punishment, for it punishes those who take advantage of an obvious weakness''.

 _Pyrrha: 55% / Eien: 65%_

Pushing down the desire to be proud, I fell back into a defensive stance as I reloaded Judgement in a flash, Punishment disappearing into my coat pocket once again like a viper ready to strike. Pyrrha was more cautious now, clearly smart enough to know that now she would have another thing to get past to harm me. I took the initiative and fired as her weapon transformed, skimming her stomach as she returned fire. I took the bullet to the side of the chest and fired below me and flipped in the air, using my treads and temporary gravity to my advantage as I ran along the roof for a few second before firing two rounds in quick succession to plummet to the ground below.

She learnt from her mistakes and surprised me as she, instead of blocking, jumped back to avoid me as my Scythe crashed where she stood and imbedded a foot into the ground. Before I could fire a round to loosen it she charged me with her shield first, greatly reducing her chances of being hit by Punishment. I scowled faintly as I did a flip backwards and pulled out Punishment, firing a loose explosive round at her to stun her. In a feat of strength she barrel through it, though from her momentary stumble showed the effect it had, which was what I wanted.

I surprised her by charging her in tandem, slipping my body past her shield bash and knee her in the stomach, followed by a palm to the chin and a roundhouse kick to the side of the stomach, sending her tumbling to the side, though her Xiphos sword did manage to graze me once again. I bolted over to my weapon and with a single shot freed it from its confinement, flipping it around in a ready stance as Punishment disappeared into my pocket, and I spared a glance at my scroll.

 _Pyrrha: 25% / Eien: 32%_

Not bad at least, I was still in the lead by nearly 10% and the fight ended at 10%. Ignoring that fact and focusing on the battle, I fired a round at her and she blocked it with slightly increased difficultly, allowing a brief pause for me to reload Judgement and prepare a secondary rail encase I would need another before the fight ended. Both of us were panting now, but we ignored it. I took off with the recoil of my weapon, clashing against her shield with a 'CLANG'. She once again took me by surprise as her weapon, which was no longer a Xiphos sword but rather a javelin, pierced my shoulder, costing me extra Aura to heal the wound as I evaded backwards.

I fired at my feet and once again went airborne, immediately and unabashedly firing off every last round in my clip at her, preventing her from getting a good aim with her rifle less she be hit directly by any of the sniper rounds. The second my weapon clicked empty I pulled out Punishment and fired, sending the flare-like round down at her, exploding as she blocked just in time, but still took heavy damage. I fell to the ground panting, fumbling for another rail of ammo when Glynda spoke;

''The match is over, Eien is the winner'' She said, surprising me. I glanced down at my scroll and was slightly surprised to see that indeed she was right.

 _Pyrrha: 8% / Eien: 16%_

I sighed as I leaned on my weapon for support, reloading my arsenal and pocketing it for later. I went over to the exhausted champion and offered her a hand up, which she gladly took - and almost pulled me down with her.

''I didn't know... you were so good at hand-to-hand'' She panted as we made our way off the stage.

''Eh, comes with... survival training'' I replied between gasps.

''I wouldn't mind sparring... with you again'' She chuckled and smiled in a friendly manner.

I smiled ''And I wouldn't mind sparring with you... I'll be sure to be stronger than last time''.

''Then I better step up my game then'' We shared another laugh as we walked off the stage, immediately being besieged by our Teams.

''That was _awesome_!~'' Ruby cheered excitedly ''You guys were all pew-pew, and then like 'pew-CLANG!-bang!' and then-''.

Yang saved us from further excited Ruby rants as she put a hand over her sisters mouth, making the younger sister realise she had begun ranting again and blush in embarrassment, Glynda's voice cut into our talking.

''Remember everyone! The Vytal festival is only a few weeks away! Those who decide to enter the tournament will be representing all of Vale, so keep up your training!''.

I rubbed my chin ''Maybe I should continue my own?''.

''Didn't you say you trained 'against the Grimm'?'' Yang asked, apparently hearing my murmur.

''Yeah'' I nodded, a thoughtful look coming onto my face ''Maybe I should travel to Mountain Glenn again?''.

''What are you, suicidal?'' Weiss scoffed and I shrugged.

''Its not too hard to survive, you just need to stay quiet and pick off Grimm from a distance'' I said as I rolled my shoulders ''It has its advantages too, its got a massive library mostly intact, plus there aren't many Deathstalkers around and the ones that do live at the city are in the larger, open buildings or underground. Nevermore are few and far between, and Goliath stay to the outskirts''.

I frowned slightly ''Although there have been a few... odd occurrences, at least on my last two trips''.

''Odd occurrences?'' Pyrrha asked as we began leaving the hall ''Like what?''.

My frown deepened ''Large Dust Crystals, mainly located inside certain buildings or underground. About ten to twenty feet tall, partially buried in the ground and with Grimm surrounding them''.

Weiss frowned ''It sounds like a naturally large dust, but Grimm usually stay away from Dust, and all Dust in Mountain Glenn was mined prior to the city opening''.

''Odd indeed'' I nodded before shrugging ''Still, they don't really effect my stay there, so I just tend to avoid them to prevent the Grimm catching onto me''.

''I have an idea!'' Nora beamed, almost in a maniac manner ''Lets go there!''.

''Hah?'' RWBY and JPR stated flatly.

''I agree'' I nodded ''It could double as survival training, and if we need to we can leave the area in short order... though we probably will need permission from Ozpin to go''.

''If he agrees to it, I'm willing'' Ren shrugged indifferently, while Nora cheered her agreement.

''It could be a good learning experience'' Pyrrha smiled, agreeing.

''I want to see if the library has any good books'' Blake nodded.

''I'm game'' Yang grinned.

Ruby nodded her agreement, an excited grin on her face as Weiss scoffed ''Well I'm not letting you dolts go on without me''.

Jaune sighed ''I guess I'll come too, when?''.

''I'll go ask Ozpin when we can go, catch up with you guys at lunch'' I smiled, giving a goodbye wave as I left for the Headmasters office.

* * *

 **A/N: How'd I do? I will add extra things and different plotlines to this story alongside Canon, so canon will be delayed at some points but canon will more-or-less be followed.**

 **On the romance end, I'm leaning towards Ruby being paired with Eien.** **Next chapter will be about Ozpin's decision and the episodes of Jaundice P1 and P2 along with Forever Fall P1 and P2.**

 **For those wondering why Weiss was angry at Ruby, since in canon its because Ruby was the leader, in this fic it was because Ruby was younger than Weiss and she felt as if Ruby hadn't earned her position, since she hasn't had the chance to see Ruby at her finest yet.**


	3. Chapter 3: Investigation

**A/N: I had written down the scene for Prof. Oobleck's class but it deleted itself when my laptop crashed, so I decided not to add it since nothing really changed anyway. From here on it will divert from Canon a bit and will effect the later arcs, and a few more OC's will be added, but they won't be main ones, but side characters (but important enough to not be classed as minor characters). Current Pairing Poll at the bottom of the screen.**

 **Also, since I got a message asking for confirmation on it, Eien's name is pronounced ''I-E-N'' like the first part of Einstein (I didn't actually decide to call him Eien because of Einstein btw, I just only now realised that).**

 **ONE MORE THING! Did any of you guys have FF dot net crash on you guys today? (04/03/16) I couldn't access the site at all!**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 3: Investigation**

* * *

Ozpin raised an eyebrow after I finished ''You wish to take your Team and Team JNPR to Mountain Glenn for survival training?''.

''Yes'' I nodded, face blank.

Ozpin was silent for several seconds before saying ''Very Well, but I will be sending you with an Atlas Special Forces Squad''.

I raised an eyebrow ''Is that really necessary?''.

''Atlas has requested my assistance in two student Teams to accompany them in an investigation of Mountain Glenn for three days'' He explained quietly after a pause ''You will lead both ERWBY and JNPR in this, and work alongside Atlas's Team in the investigation. I presume you are familiar with the area?''.

I nodded seriously ''I've got most of the town mentally mapped out, mainly major Grimm locations or nests, resource deposits and my own supply drops''.

He nodded in an approving manner, tapping into his scroll as mine beeped ''Good. You and your Team will leave in a weeks time and meet up with them at the north end of Mountain Glenn''.

''Transport?'' I questioned with a raised brow ''Or should I acquire our own transport?''.

''It is up to you'' He stated and I nodded, getting up from the chair opposite his desk.

''Thank you, Professor'' I nodded my thanks before turning and leaving. I needed to get my hands on a Bullhead, and I knew exactly how.

* * *

''So... there we were... in the middle of the night...!''.

''It was day''.

''We were surrounded by Ursai...''

''Beowolves''.

''DOZENS OF THEM!''.

''Two of them''.

''But they were no match, and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!''.

Ren sighed ''She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month now''.

''Jaune, are you okay?'' Pyrrha asked with a frown.

''Oh yeah, why?'' Said boy responded.

''Well you just seem a little... not okay'' I smiled awkwardly ''Especially since your fight earlier''.

''Uh, guys, I'm fine! Seriously, look!'' He laughed nervously, giving a thumbs up that nobody believed.

Pyrrha gave a concerned look ''Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school''.

''Who? Cardin Winchester?'' Jaune said with faux confusion ''Nah... he just likes to mess around, you know? Practical jokes!''.

''He's a bully'' I stated bluntly.

''Oh please, tell me one time he's 'bullied' me'' Jaune rolled his eyes.

''The time he knocked your books out of yours hands'' Weiss stated.

''When he activated your shield when you passed through a doorway'' Pyrrha added.

''Or the time he stuffed you in a locker and launched you away'' Blake added too.

We all gave him an expectant look, to which he responded with ''I didn't land far from the school...''.

''Jaune you know if you ever need help you can just ask'' Pyrrha insisted.

''OOH!'' Nora grinned madly ''We'll break his legs!''.

''Guys, really, its fine'' Jaune said ''Besides, its not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone''.

To signify this, a cry of 'OWW! That hurts!' called behind them. They turned, watching in disgust as Cardin mockingly pulled on a rabbit Faunus's ear. This continued for exactly for five more second until a hand slapped the back of Cardin's head, surprising the ginger teen and coincidentally making him let go of the Faunus's ear, allowing her to make a hasty and embarrassed retreat. Cardin turned to face the one who hit him, staring into the cool blue eyes of Eien.

''The hell was that for?'' Cardin growled at Eien.

''Stopping you from continuing to mock that Faunus girl'' Eien stated coolly, though I noticed it had a frosty edge to it. Eien said nothing more and made to walk past Cardin, but the ginger teen put his leg out in an obvious attempt to trip and embarrass Eien. Without even looking Eien stepped over the leg, not even acknowledging Cardin's presence - much to the larger teens obvious ire.

''Yeah, Yeah'' Cardin grumbled, glaring at Eien's back ''Go back to your team of whores''.

Eien paused, dare I say froze on the spot. His normally calm and friendly cerulean eyes narrowed dangerously as he turned around, making Cardin pause for the briefest of moments in what amounted to fear. Not that I could blame the jackass, if I didn't know Eien as well as I did I might of been scared by the dangerous aura around him, borderline killing intent.

'' _What_ did you call my team?'' Eien hissed in an unnatural show of anger.

Cardin, for all his cockiness, smirked smugly ''I called your team a bunch of whores, its true after all''.

Myself, Blake, Yang and Weiss all glared at Cardin, but even then it didn't even compare to the killing intent that Eien was now radiating as he calmly, almost too calmly, walked up to Cardin, looking up at the fairly taller teen.

''Training Hall. Ten minutes'' Eien said, voice as cold as steel in winter. Despite being spoken slightly quieter than his normal voice, it seemingly radiated throughout the silent dining hall, nearly everyone in the school present to hear it.

Cardin knew this, and smirked arrogantly, though even I could see the instinctual fear in his eyes ''Alright, prepare to go crying back to your team of whores''.

At that moment, only one thought ran through both my head, and everyone on my team and JNPR;

He is **_S_ _O_ ** fucked.

* * *

Both combatants walked onto the stage, the barrier erected and all of the spectators seats filled. Whether its because they wanted to see Cardin the bully get shit on, or because they were interested to see how this would play out or even because they were curious about Eien's skill. Myself and the rest of my team and JNPR were sat in the front row, eagerly watching.

''You ready to get your ass kicked?'' Cardin smirked, hefting his mace up.

Eien said nothing for a moment, before suddenly reaching up and unzipping his trench coat for whatever reason. He chucked it off to the side, allowing the spectators to see the amount of ammo that he carries on him... and that's a lot of ammo... holy shit that's a lot of ammo. It also allowed to see what was underneath the trench coat, a pair of military style pants and a vest. You could also see his lean and toned- BAD THOUGHTS RUBY!

''Five rounds. That's all I intend to waste on someone like you'' Eien stated coldly as he hefted Judgement up onto his shoulder.

''Prick'' Cardin spat as he fell into stance, but Eien didn't even do that, only blankly glaring at Cardin. Either extreme confidence or cockiness. Likely the former.

''Kick his ass!'' Yang shouted encouragingly, grinning broadly.

''BREAK HIS LEGS!'' Nora grinned madly, grinning wider than Yang was.

''Go Eien!'' I cheered and he spared a look at me, flashing a smile that made my face heat up and my stomach knot up.

''You will start on the count of three'' Glynda stated, drinking some tea ''One, two, three!''.

Cardin moved quickly despite his armour, swinging his mace at Eien. The younger teen waited until the last moment until he flipped Judgement around, the blunt side slamming the morning star away from him, the blade cutting a thin line across Cardin's armour. With a sudden burst of ruthlessness he flipped the scythe around in rapid succession, proving his skill of the scythe as the blade flashed repeated, cuts dotting across Cardin's chest as the student body looked at the Aura levels.

 _Cardin: 82% / Eien: 100%_

Without stopping Eien spun, slamming the blunt side of the scythe into Cardin's side and sending him tumbling away. Using only one hand Eien lifted the scythe and fired, the bullet striking Cardin in the chest but his Aura protecting him from harm. But his Aura?

 _65%_

Eien shot a bullet behind him, accelerating him towards Cardin. The elder teen barely got to his feet before his mace was kicked from his hands, a palm thrust impacted his jaw, and a slash of Judgement sliced his armour in two.

 _45%_

The teen was sent flying back as the shaft of Judgement poked him in the stomach with force, only for Eien to use the recoil to shoot _past_ Cardin, driving his knee into the teen's back. He grabbed the back of the Cardin's collar and used surprising strength to fling the larger teen over his shoulder, almost a dozen feet into the air.

 _30%_

Without the slightest sign of hesitation or remorse he pulled the trigger, firing another round at Cardin who could only take the round into his chest, drawing a tiny river of blood as it pierced his Semblance.

 _18%_

He regained his footing before landing, only to be far too slow to dodge the knee that broke his nose.

 _11%_

To seal the deal, Eien swung in a simple kick... at his crotch.

Every male in the room simultaneously winced and made an 'Ooh' noise as Cardin collapsed, clutching his crotch. Eien walked over to Cardin, standing over his with his Scythe on his shoulder like the literal embodiment of the reaper.

''If you _ever_ insult or harm one of my teammates, you'll find yourself without arms, legs, and with an IV line permanently strapped to you for the rest of your life. Am I clear?'' He stated with brutal coldness, a resounding shiver passing through the crowd save for me, my team and JNPR.

Cardin glared, but flinched as the blade of Judgement crashed less than a centimetre from his head ''C-Crystal Clear''.

Eien silently removed the weapon, reforming it into its sniper/compact form. He began walking to the edge of the stage, picking up his coat in the process and putting it back on smoothly as the previous rage left his features, returning to calm and friendly. The student body, both who had seen Eien before and those who had not, could only look in awe at the Aura metres.

 _Cardin: 5% / Eien: 100%_

Not only had Eien taken no damage, but he hadn't used any of his Aura on his attacks to increase their power, meaning that he had used no Aura during the entire fight and remained at 100%. Whispers and murmurs broke out quickly, but I, along with my team and JNPR, left the stands to meet our leader.

* * *

''Well... you showed him'' Yang grinned as she, the rest of my team, and Team JNPR, walked over to me.

''He deserved it'' I chuckled and smiled.

''Saved me the effort'' Yang snickered.

''Can I break his legs next?'' Nora asked her friend Ren, who gave her a flat 'no' in return.

Blake smirked ''You embarrassed him in front of the entire school. Its one thing to defeat him, another to defeat him with ease, and its a whole 'nother level to defeat him without even losing 1% of Aura''.

''Huh, would you look at that'' I blinked, looking up at the monitor before _it_ clicked in my mind ''Oh yeah, I asked Ozpin about the mission''.

''And~?'' Ruby sang.

''Coincidentally Atlas is launching an investigation of the place and requested two student teams to accompany their Special Forces team'' I explained as I pulled out my scroll, tapping away and sending the mission briefing to their scrolls, making them ding ''I'm in the process of securing a Bullhead for us to take, we leave in a weeks time''.

''Special Forces?'' Weiss frowned ''Something must be going on there if they're involved''.

I nodded ''Possibly something to do with all the Dust that's been appearing''.

''Well we've got a week until then, so we still got to attend the trip to Forever Fall forest in a few days'' Blake added and I nodded.

''Yes, it would be best to keep up with our schoolwork so when we get back we won't have a workload to go through'' I said and got a few agreements, and groans.

* * *

Several days later...

''Thanks for your help Ruby, you've been a big help in making it'' I smiled at my teammate, who giggled in embarrassment at the praise.

''Hehe, its fine'' She said, a blush of embarrassment on her face ''I didn't do too much''.

''Don't sell yourself short Ruby'' I smiled, ruffling her hair playfully, increasing her blush of embarrassment. We were about to enter our room when I spotted Jaune near his dorm, sitting against the wall with a depressed look on his face.

''Is Jaune okay?'' Ruby asked, concerned.

''I'll go check on him'' I said and made my way over to him, Ruby reluctantly entering our room.

I stopped in front of the teen ''Why are you sitting outside your dorm?''.

He looked up at me and sighed, visibly debating before reluctantly saying ''I messed up''.

''I did something I shouldn't have and now Cardin's got me on a leash and Pyrrha won't even talk me'' He sighed ''I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea... I'm a failure''.

I sighed ''If Cardin is picking on you then let us handle him. Nora, Pyrrha, hell all of us have more than a good reason to kick his ass, you just need to ask for help''.

An unnatural scowl came to his face ''That's the problem! I don't _want_ to be helped, I came to Beacon to be a Hero, and if I can't do this on my own, what good am I?''.

I rolled my eyes ''From the way you're describing it, you're envisioning the Hero who aces all there classes, gets the girl, and defeats anything evil, am I right?''.

He nodded and I continued ''Well that's not a Hero, that's someone who doesn't exist''.

''Huh?'' He blinked in confusion.

''A Hero has a gradual growth curve. They start off weak and relatively substandard, and then become strong and confident when the time fully calls for it. That's a hero. Someone doesn't just become all-mighty from the beginning, otherwise what would be the point of coming to Beacon? People can be powerful, yes, but nobody is invincible''.

''What about you then?'' He murmured ''You took down Cardin without even using an ounce of Aura, I didn't even get him into the yellow''.

''To be fair, I was driven by my rage at that point'' I shook my head, my own self-disappointment evident ''It was only years of training that prevented me from killing him then and there, and I'm still tempted to... the bastard''.

I sighed ''Either way, Jaune, I have had access to my Aura, possibly even my Semblance, since I was six years old and have had time to understand it. I've hunted Grimm in the wilderness and have survival training since the age of ten, and I've seen my fair share of life-death situations, so don't fret about being on par with someone who's had instincts engraved into their very core''.

''The same goes for Pyrrha - she's had years of training in official tournaments and expert-level training tutors'' I added ''Just because someone is better than you, doesn't mean that you should be at their standard. If you're worse than them, that just means you have more room to grow''.

I sighed, _again_ ''In fact, I should say I'm not surprised that your skill is below average; you refuse help. What do you think will happen if you accept Pyrrha's help? That everyone will laugh at you? Of course not, they would consider you lucky. Getting training and tips from an someone stronger than you means that it'll help you get better, so stop acting like you're the only one who can help you''.

He still looked reluctant, so I added ''So here's what you're going to do; you are going to go into your dorm, apologise to Pyrrha and ask for her help, and then you will mend the ties you've inadvertently damaged''.

''B-But... what if she doesn't want to 'mend the ties'?'' He asked, hesitant.

I sighed, _AGAIN_ , and hauled him to his feet. Before he could even begin struggling in my grasp I pushed the unlocked door open, mentally thankful that nobody was in the process of getting changed or anything of the sort.

''I hope I'm not intruding'' I stated as I pushed Jaune in front of me ''But I think Jaune has something he wanted to say''.

Jaune hesitated for only a moment before, surprising even me, _bowed_ ''I'm sorry for being a dumbass guys... and I'm sorry for how I acted to you Pyrrha''.

Pyrrha's face flushed in embarrassment but smiled ''I-Its fine''.

I coughed, looking at Jaune pointedly and he asked ''A-And if its no trouble... could y-you _help_ me... become a better fighter?''.

Pyrrha smiled widely ''Of course''.

Smiling faintly, I sent a nod towards the reuniting team before closing the door quietly, heading back to my own dorm.

* * *

''Yes students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see, Professor Peaches asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep in the forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so'' Glynda spoke as we walked ''Each of you is to gather one jar of red sap, however this forest is filled with the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates - we will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock, have fun!''.

Each of the teams split up, and Cardin made to grab for Jaune, only for the weaker teen to bat away his hand and walk alongside Pyrrha, showing his decision. Cardin visibly grew angry at this, but stormed off with his Team as they went into the forest, all the while my gaze carefully trained on them. I had read many books on psychology and I knew, at least to a degree, that after what I did to Cardin he'd be after me, either to harm me, or just to embarrass me. So I'd have to keep my guard up for a while.

I stayed at the back of the group, eyes dancing around the forest around me. It was entirely likely that he would use red tree sap since it would lure Grimm to us, and if we were to die... I doubted he'd have trouble sleeping at night. Not that anything less than a horde of Nevermore could stop us, of course.

''Eien...'' Ruby's voice broke me from my thoughts ''...Why are you carrying that massive box?''.

''To carry extra jars of sap, I'm wanting to take some back with me and use them for a little experiment'' I smiled.

''You aint going all made scientist on us are you?'' Yang joked and I chuckled.

''No, just regular scientist'' I smiled, pulling out a dagger from my pant leg and sliced the bark of a tree, putting a jar under it as sap flowed into it. After it slowed down and congealed I moved onto another part of the tree, using another jar as sap ran into it like maroon liquid. Once it congealed again I put the jar into the box and collected a third jar, gathering more sap and repeating the process until I ended up with ten jars, including an extra one to hand in.

Suddenly my instincts screamed and without hesitation I pulled Judgement out and pulled the trigger, surprising my teammates as the bullet fired and impacted a jar that had been flying for Ruby's back, the sap falling onto the grass and missing all of us. I turned a blank gaze onto a ridge where Team CRDL was, paling upon me seeing them.

''Cardin'' I 'smiled' darkly ''What did I say would happen if you insulted or intended to harm my team?''.

He paled rapidly, not even justifying himself before _bolting_ it away from the scene, his team following. I grinned as I began to walk after them, only for Ruby to grab my arm in a soft grip. I sighed as I looked down at her, sheathing Judgement over my back again in its sniper form. I returned and picked up my box of sap jars, walking alongside my team and JNPR as we began to walk away.

''What time is it?'' Jaune asked.

I looked at the sky ''Probably only around four, maybe?''.

''Quarter past Four'' Blake stated, looking up from her watch.

''Close enough'' I rolled my eyes ''Lets go''.

Everyone else just nodded, and we began walking back towards Glynda's location.

* * *

I checked my combat uniform one more time, ammo - check, Judgement and Punishment - check, Dust Crystals - check. After making sure everything was done I pulled out my scroll, noting it was '7:00' and putting my scroll away again. I moved over to Blake's bed, gently shaking her awake before moving onto Yang, then Weiss then Ruby. In half an hour sharp all had showered and gotten into their combat uniforms, and a quick knock at JNPR proved they had just finished too. With a simple gesture I led the eight students behind me as I walked.

''So how do we get to Mountain Glenn then?'' Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair again - apparently because she hated being woken up so early, but I didn't comprehend how that related to her hair. Must be a Yang thing.

''Easy, we'll take a Bullhead'' I said smoothly as we made it onto the outer helipads, where a Bullhead was waiting. I created it from a piece of my soul, obviously, but they didn't need to know that. Yet.

I walked up to the large aircraft and climbed through the side door, the two teams following me. At my request they sat down in the seats on both sides of the hull, facing each other with seat belts over them diagonally, except for Ren who sat in the co-pilot seat, which prompted Weiss to speak up.

''Hold on, _you_ are flying this?'' She said incredulously, to which I just chuckled at.

''I can assure you I know how to fly a Bullhead'' I said as Ren sat in the seat next to me ''There should be a manual in there Ren, just keep an eye-out for any Nevermore''.

''Sure'' The stoic teen nodded as he fished for the manual in the glove compartment, flipping through it. Meanwhile I shut and locked the side doors and the rear loading bay, pulling the stick back slightly as the aircraft became airborne. I chuckled at the others reactions; Weiss and Ruby were nervous, Blake was tense and gripping her seat, Yang was slightly tense but trying to not look worried, Ren was indifferent, Nora was excited, Pyrrha was unsure and Jaune was borderline terrified.

And a little queasy looking.

I gained a bit more altitude before aiming the stick forward, flicking the switch and changing the engine angle and gaining forward momentum gradually. After a few minutes of nothing happening, everyone relaxed slightly - Jaune looked a bit queasy, but without any windows he seemed to be handling it. We continued for a few minutes in silence before Ruby broke the tension.

''How long until we're there~?'' She whined.

I chuckled ''Without any interruptions, about ten to twenty minutes''.

''Where did you learn to fly anyway?'' Blake asked, pulling a book out from nowhere.

''I have my ways'' I eluded slyly, I'd rather them not know I had the memories of hundreds of people in my head. Would give the wrong impression.

We continued idle chatter until we neared the abandoned city of Mountain Glenn, flying near the meeting point where I noticed a group of people standing. I lowered the airship down onto the concrete roof, the legs of the ship extending at the flick of a switch. Once I was sure it was stable I opened the rear loading ramp and issued for the others to get off, before getting off myself. In front of us was a group of five soldiers in a V pattern, and I walked to the front of our group to greet them.

''I presume you're the Atlas Special Forces?'' I asked and the man at the front nodded. He had a bulky-ish piece of grey and orange armour, with large shoulder plates and an armoured chest-piece. He was slightly old, probably around fifty or so, and had short, slicked-back grey hair that went down and encircled into a goatee beard. His eyes were brown and he held a bulky looking assault rifle in his hands, adept for medium to long range but lacking slightly in close quarters, unless it had a secret that its appearance didn't show.

The older man plastered a friendly grin on his face ''Captain Sierra Kashia, you?''.

''Eien'' I nodded, pulling down my bandana to show my small smile, and at his slightly confused expression I reiterated ''Just Eien''.

He nodded, accepting that and not asking questions. I like him.

''Alright, we've set up a perimeter and no Grimm have come too close so far'' Sierra explained ''Our orders were to wait for you guys before setting up a base, you know any good places?''.

''I've got a small safe-house over in the apartment complex'' I say, nodding towards it ''Stocked with a fair bit of ammo, food and water. It overlooks the courtyard of Parasol Square and the Great Library, lots of open ground to overlook and tight corridors, lots of escape routes and Dust charges encase an explosive-retreat is needed''.

Sierra nodding, gesturing to the stairwell ''Well lets get going - _quietly_ Tai''.

He directed the last part at one of the other members of his team, Tai. He was an averagely built man with brown hair and eyes, one side longer than the other. He wore an armoured suit similar to Sierra, but lacked the bulky shoulder plating and was smaller, since Sierra appeared to be quite a muscled man. In his hands was a sleek black SMG with a drum magazine, the body of the gun small but compact. Over his shoulder was a long shotgun, which I briefly recognised as the new 'SPAS-24' that Atlas had produced, firing incendiary-corrosion rounds.

''Hehe... I'll try'' He said, scratching the back of his head with a nervous, but joking laugh. One of the men beside him snorted, wearing an identical armoured suit but having a pair of large Magnum's at his waist, as well as a large Rocket Launcher slung over his back. His hair was a jet black and spiky, piercing blues eyes filled with mirth as he stared at his ally.

''You're about as quiet as a bloodthirsty Ursa running through a forest'' The man said dryly.

''Clam it, Altaria'' Tai grumbled, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks while Altaria snickered.

''I think its only polite to introduce yourself lads'' Sierra said, joining in on the banter.

Tai coughed, straightening up ''Warrant Officer Tai Landor''.

Altaria nodded to them ''Altaria Schwitz, Warrant Officer''.

A third man stepped forwards, short black hair and cold grey eyes. He wore a black bandana over the lower half of his face and had a pair of Cat-Faunus ears on his head, he wore a sleeker version of the outfit the two Warrant Officers were wearing, probably to allow better freedom of movement. In his hands was a high-calibre sniper rifle, sleek and elongated with an extra long barrel. At his waist was a curt SMG, likely a secondary.

He gave a curt nod ''First Lieutenant Akio Sanawai''.

The fourth man came forth, straight raven hair that was down to his chin on both sides and a pair of glasses over his green eyes. He wore the same, albeit differently shaped, armoured suit over him. He carried a simple looking, but intricate assault rifle in his hands. His green eyes were calculating, probably having analysed us with his eyes the moment we left the ship.

''Devin Korus, Second Lieutenant'' The man nodded, pushing his glasses up ''And also the scientist of our group''.

I nodded back to my team, Pyrrha being the first and smiling ''I'm Pyrrha Nikos''.

''Nora Valkyrie~'' Nora sang, hanging off Ren.

''Lie Ren, but just call me Ren'' He said plainly, trying weakly to pry Nora off.

''J-Jaune Arc'' Jaune stumbled over his words momentarily, still looking a bit queasy.

''Blake Belladonna'' Blake nodded.

Yang saluted ''Yang Xiao Long, at your service!~''.

Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose ''Weiss Schnee, its nice to meet you''.

''And I'm Ruby Rose!'' Ruby grinned, doing an over-the-top pose making everyone sweat-drop.

''Alright, now that introductions are out of the way, lets get going'' Sierra chuckled in amusement.

We all nodded as we moved to the stairwell, Sierra at the front and Tai at the back, none noticing how the Bullhead disintegrated. We quickly and quietly moved down the narrow hallway before descending the stairs, reaching the bottom floor and sprinting across the open ground while keeping our eyes out for Grimm. None had appeared yet, likely because the north end of Mountain Glenn was the least populated part of the Grimm, but also held the main source of the weird Dust crystals with Grimm guarding it which perhaps warded off lesser Grimm.

We entered the worn-down building, light shining in through cracks in the stone walls. Soft footfalls were all that was heard as we ascending three sets of stairs before walking down the hall, and at my directions took a sharp left into an abandoned room. I walked over to a corner of the room and pressed a rapid series of buttons, painted to match the texture and look of the wall. A small rectangle of the wall disintegrated, allowing everyone to pile into the relatively decent sized room. It was like the rest of the city; slightly damaged, although it looked better after repeated attempts at repairing it.

''I'm afraid I couldn't customize it very much, Grimm seem to notice when I paint the walls and add a nice carpet'' I said dryly ''Although there are beds and three rooms, so enough for a team each - two showers, both working''.

''Eh, better than most places we crash at'' Tai snickered as he went into one of the rooms, a loud thud coming out, followed by snoring.

''...he didn't get much sleep last night, did he?'' Sierra sighed and Altaria nodded ''How much beer?''.

''Twenty bottles, he's had a hangover all day''.

''Damn it''.

* * *

An hour passed quite quickly, the sun not having gotten anywhere near mid-day as we all ate from canned food. My team and JNPR were not overly keen on it at first (save Ren, who didn't really mind) but after realising that it didn't taste much different to normal food, they just dealt with it. I discussed a lot of things with Sierra and went over it with my team and JNPR, mainly about codenames and such encase the White Fang or Roman Torchwick was involved in this, and thus they could check our communications. I liked military terms.

I pulled out a large box, nearly three foot tall and six foot long in the shape of a rectangle.

''Ammo, though most of its .338 Lapua Magnum'' I stated to them ''Any of you use those?''.

''I can'' Ruby smiled.

''I can'' Akio nodded after a pause of silence, sat on the balcony with his sniper mounted, watching the large courtyard and idly noting the Grimm lurking around ''Are there any powerful Grimm in the area that you know of?''.

''I know that there are quite a few in the railway'' I informed and he nodded, taking in this information ''While I haven't seen one, there is likely to be a Deathstalker or two in the library given that it has a lot of large open spaces, possibly even a Goliath - but unlikely''.

He nodded, angling the sniper to look at the library ''I don't see anything, but its entirely possible that its deeper inside''.

''We could check it out'' Blake offered.

''I think it would be wise'' Devin nodded ''If there is a Deathstalker we can lead it outside, leaving lots of space for us to move around''.

''But also space for the Deathstalker to move around'' I countered.

He conceded with a nod ''True, but from what I've read on you and your Team's profiles you all have some speed-based ability, do you not?''.

I nodded ''True, but JNPR don't''.

''We can stay behind'' Ren suggested and Jaune nodded rapidly, likely not wanting to chance meeting a Deathstalker.

''I'll cover you'' Akio stated, loading another clip and cocking the bolt back ''You got quite a lot of Beowolves and a few Ursa down there''.

''I'm going too, I need the exercise'' Altaria added, cocking his weapons.

''Alright, if you guys are ready lets go'' I said, heading for the door ''Punch in the code 7851 to leave or enter''.

''Noted'' Sierra nodded ''Good luck guys''.

''And to you'' I nodded back before tapping the four-digit-code in and leading the way, stalking through the building since it was quieter, regardless of the fact it was far slower. We walked down the narrow halls and dimly lit rooms, jumping down through a hole in the floor and kicking up a bit of dust on our landing. We ignored it, treading onwards as we proceeded to the front gate of the room. I held up a hand as a militaristic sign to hold position, and my followers obeyed and paused, allowing us to remain in the shadows.

 _C-C-C_

I narrowed my eyes, straining my ears.

 _Crrrr_

My eyes widened faintly in realisation.

 _CRACK!_

I held my breath and my teammates did the same as we all but imbedded ourselves in the wall, just in time as the floor at the front of the doorway abruptly collapsed in on itself, falling down into darkness. The railway.

I put a hand on my earpiece ''Colony, this is Variety. Some parts of ground level are unstable, nearly fell down to the railway''.

 _''I hear you''_ Sierra responded _''Can you still proceed to Hardback?''._

Hardback being the temporary codename for the library, I responded ''It might take a few minutes, but we still can reach it''.

 _''Alright, stay safe''._

I let go of my earpiece just as Weiss summoned a Glyph over the hole, smugly walking over it with Altaria following her with a slightly impressed look on his face. With a gesture the rest of us followed over the Glyph, now out in the open and quickly drawing attention. Without a word we unleash our weapons, falling into ready stances. I could see the library on the other side of the large courtyard; a large concrete structure with pillars at the front and large glass windows, although a large part of the front of the building was missing, scattered debris showing its destruction.

 _''I'll clear out some of the Ursa while you fight, deal with the Beowolves''_ Akio spoke into his headset and I replied with a grunt. I aimed Judgement and fired a round off, killing a Beowulf without hesitation. At the same time Akio fired, my shot muffling his and the Ursa that took the shot to the head went unnoticed.

''Molten(Yang) and Magnum(Altaria) you lead, Crescent(Ruby) and I will take your flanks. Black(Blake) and Snow(Weiss) you cover the rear, alright?'' I asked and got a quick confirmation ''Alright, lets go!''.

Immediately Altaria drew both magnums, pulling the trigger in rapid succession as a single bullet each tore through a single Grimm, decimating the line of Beowolves while Akio quietly picked off the tougher Grimm with ease. Yang fired off rounds from her gauntlets, taking several per Grimm but having a larger magazine belt than what Altaria had. I easy picked off other targets with Ruby, slashing apart any Grimm who got too close to us. Blake and Weiss easily picked off the Grimm who tried to attack from behind, Blake being especially useful in using her weapon like a flail to slice down the Grimm that Weiss slows with her Glyphs.

''You do realise that we're only attracting more Grimm, right?'' Weiss yelled as she cut down a Beowulf that got too close.

I ignored her remark ''On my signal get inside Hardback and hide as best you can without going too deep inside and stay quiet''.

Nobody disagreed, too busy focusing on mowing down the hordes of Grimm making their way to us. We were only twenty metres away from the library when I reached into my trench coat and pulled out a smoke bomb, one that Sierra had given to me. I pulled the pin and dropped it at my feet, immediately it shattered and smoke began pouring out of a small white dust crystal at its core.

''GO!'' I barked and we all took off into the library through the large hole in the front. Myself and Ruby hugged the wall immediately after entering the building, allowing me to peek out without giving away my position because my hood camouflaged with the shadowed background. Blake and Weiss hid in the corner of the room across from us, while Yang and Altaria hid behind a bookshelf, everyone quietening their breathing. We waited as the smoke cleared, watching the Grimm look around in confusion as they sniffed the air, trying to figure out where we were.

The problem for them was that the smoke was an Anti-Grimm smoke bomb, dusting our bodies with Grimm Essence and making it smell like we were Grimm - didn't change our appearance though, meaning it only eliminated the problem of them smelling us.

Suddenly one of the Beowolves cocked their head in our direction, eyes locking with mine. I held no fear for the Grimm, which I had noted seemed abnormal but had dismissed it from an early age, but even if I held no fear for them they still had the instinct to kill me, although it seems like they can be dissuaded like that Ursa from when I was younger. Before it could do anything a bullet pierced its head, the gunshot ringing out throughout the courtyard as the Grimm immediately tried searching for the source, but Akio was smart enough to hide himself and his sniper between shots, meaning they couldn't see him and was too far away to be smelled.

I looked at Ruby and immediately realised why the Grimm noticed us, she had a slightly worried look on her face, nervous fear dancing in her eyes.

''Calm down'' I whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a smile, which succeeded in calming her down.

''Sorry'' She whispered back.

''Its fine'' I dismissed, putting a hand to my earpiece ''Vulture(Akio) are we clear?''.

 _''Yes, they've lost sight of you and are returning to roaming the courtyard, none approaching Hardback''._

''Roger, keep a lookout''.

 _''Got it''._

I let go of my earpiece and glance outside the window, the Grimm all spreading out and leaving again. I turned to my 'squad' and gestured for them to gather on me, huddling by Yang and Altaria. A few moments later Weiss and Blake joined us and we quietly sighed in relief, they weren't wounded and barely tired but it was still intense.

''Alright keep the teams we have right now. Black Snow (Blake and Weiss) you two check the dark end of the building, search for any out-of-the-normal things... and don't get too distracted Blake by the books'' I ordered and Blake blushed in embarrassment ''Molten Magnum (Yang and Altaria) you two check this area. Me and Crescent will check the back of the room for anything, any problems?''.

''Nah'' Yang answered for everyone and I nodded, getting up and leading Ruby towards the back of the building while the others went to work.

''Stay close'' I whispered to Ruby, who nodded and stayed within a few feet of me as we walked. The light from the windows didn't reach all the way to the back of the large open area, so when I kicked a plank of wood and heard it clatter I took pause, considering the possibility of it being a hole. I reached into my trench coat and ran my fingers over the different crystals at my waistband, getting a different feeling from each. When I got a gentle but warm feeling, I pulled it out, revealing a golden crystal that shined faintly.

I brought it to the floor and swiftly slashed it across the ground, making only a small scathing noise that went unnoticed. The gem however glowed as it lit up like a torch, giving enough light to see but not enough to warrant attention from the Grimm. True enough a small hole lay below us, leading a fair ways down and the glistening of metal showing the rail tracks that ran all over the city.

Suddenly a _VERY_ loud 'CLICK-CLICK-CLICK' resounded and I slowly raised my gaze, meeting the gaze of a Deathstalker. Its body was hidden in the shadows, but I had no doubt its stinger was primed.

''Ruby... Back. Away. Slowly'' I ordered quietly and the girl obeyed, her eyes stuck on the Deathstalker as she took one step at a time behind her. Slowly, my eyes watching the Deathstalker, I pressed my finger against the earpiece.

''Vulture... I found a Deathstalker...'' I drawled, grim amusement in my tone as the Deathstalker clicked intimidatingly. Slowly I backed up, the Deathstalkers narrowed eyes following me as I moved back ''Everyone we're leaving''.

The Deathstalker abruptly screeched, a high-pitched noise that left my ears ringing temporarily. It lashed out with its stinger and I fired a round at it, bouncing off its hidden armour as I used the recoil to move backwards to the entrance where the others were waiting.

 _''Variety... something's going on''_ Akio spoke, his voice something between suspicious and awed _''The Grimm in the area left after you provoked the Deathstalker''._

 _''It probably means that its very old''_ Devin spoke up.

''Outside, now'' I said calmly as I fired a round, using the recoil once again to get out onto the open ground, the others followed quickly. We waited in tense silence for several seconds before the Deathstalker screeched again, bursting through bookshelves and entering the large courtyard, however its appearance made our eyes widen and speechless. Its stinger was a bright crimson with spiky teal bones around the bit where it connects to the tail. Its armour was spiked with crimson or teal at random and its eyes the generic crimson. Its claws had a yellow line trimming on it, its body almost fully armoured.

''The hell?'' Yang muttered '' _That_ is not a normal Deathstalker''.

I pulled out my scroll in a flash, snapping a picture of it despite the incredulously looks my squad gave me. I pocketed the scroll just as the creature screeched again, and surprisingly its stinger glowed brightly.

''Careful, we're playing with an unknown now'' I stated as I aimed Judgement in its sniper form, unloading its AP rounds and reloading in a rail of AP Explosive Incendiary.

''Do you have any more of those super-big rounds you used before?'' Blake asked.

I nodded ''I do, but this is likely tied to our investigation, and it would be wise to study it instead of eliminating it... Four-eyes(Devin), you read?''.

 _''Loud and clear''._

''Use the scroll I gave you, when I give the signal pilot Orbitos'' I instruct ''Just encase, I don't want any losses''.

 _''Understood''._

''Alright, time to start this'' I stated and pulled the trigger, firing a round at the creatures face. It, to my obvious surprise, _deflected_ off its armour, hitting a wall away from us and exploding into a firebomb ''That... _is not_ supposed to happen''.

''What rounds were those?'' Weiss asked, now clearly cautious. I realised that the scene that just occurred probably implanted some fear in my teammates, since none of them had seen any Grimm deflect one of my bullets, especially not an incendiary one.

''Armour-piercing Explosive Incendiary'' I stated guardedly ''Only a Goliath has managed to not be pierced by my AP rounds, and even then it damaged it, not _deflect_ it''.

''So its tougher than a Goliath'' Altaria stated with a grim smile.

''Joy'' I joked lightly, still waiting for the Deathstalker to make a move. We had a very brief stare-off before the Deathstalkers still-glowing tail lurched, and I was momentarily taken aback as a _fireball_ shot at me. Only because of instinct did I managed to fire at the ground, propelling above the resulting explosion and landing beside my teammates, my eyes wide in surprise.

''That...'' I muttered.

''...was Red-Fire Dust'' Blake finished, eyes wide with fear in her eyes.

I immediately stepped forward, intent on removing that fear - fear only feeds the Grimm, for all intents and purposes. I transformed Judgement into sniper form, putting my hand to my earpiece to relay orders, since some Grimm seemed to have a degree of understanding of human language - at least I presumed so.

''Alright get it together people. Black you fall back and strike from the shadows. Snow you support and hit it when its guard is open. Molten you give supressing fire on it, rain hell on it. Crescent you and I will be hitting, aim for the sides and legs. Magnum you use your 'secondary' for heavy blows and damage its armour and join Molten with your guns'' I ordered authoritatively, speaking confidently ''Vulture I need you to target its stinger, Four-eyes you're on standby with Orbitos. Clear?''.

 _''Clear!''_ Everyone responded in unison and I smiled faintly, dangerously.

''Then lets go!'' I barked as I shot, taking off to its right side while Ruby took the left. Before the Deathstalker could even begin to turn Altaria fired a large rocket from the launcher, exploding onto the Deathstalkers face but only burning it slightly. Immediately this was followed with both him and Yang unloading at its face, making it screech as its attention was drawn to them. A shot rang out as a .338 impacted the stinger, making it bleed but not explode, again making the Deathstalker screech. The screech made everyone wince, but that was enough time to the Deathstalker to strike Yang with its claw, sending her tumbling away with Blunt Trauma.

I slashed at the Deathstalkers legs, my blade grating off against its armoured plating but cutting it thinly, drawing a small amount of blood. I glanced and saw Altaria jump back to avoid another fireball that the stinger fired, before said stinger abruptly faded to a teal colour that made me suspicious. The teal markings on its body glowed faintly as I felt the temperature decrease.

''Back up!'' I barked and was pleased when everyone did so, barely escaping when the Deathstalker suddenly glowed as a rapid-moving ring of ice surrounded and pulsed outwards from it. It only travelled a few feet before the ice fell to the ground, shattering. The Deathstalker continued to glare at us as its stinger turned red, undoubtedly charging up another fireball.

''Ice and Fire Dust-types'' I commented as I took aim and fired, my bullet bouncing off its armour as I took a swipe at its leg, leaving a meagre cut along the armour that drew only a paper-cut of blood. I used the recoil of my gun to avoid the sudden fireball it threw at me, flames erupting at the spot I was stood in an ember picturesque manner. Yang got past its claws and unleashed a rapid hail of punches against its face while firing, but it only slightly damaged it like everything else. Blake came from the shadows and landed a series of minor wounds along its tail and back before leaving again, a shadow clone taking the damage for it.

I reached into my jacket, going around and feeling onto my back where I found my dust-infused daggers, and pulled out an explosive fire one. I reloaded Judgement at the same time, going for AP Corrosion rounds this time instead and tossing a mag to Ruby, who called a thanks and swapped some of her bullets with the ones in the rail, giving her five shots of AP Corrosion in her Crescent Rose. I shot behind me and landed on the Deathstalker, stabbing the red-glowing dagger in a nigh unnoticeable crack in the armour, using another shot to wound it and escape.

A few seconds later the dagger cracked before it exploded into a pillar of flames, almost drowning out the screeches of the Deathstalker - almost. It came charging out of the pillar of flames at Ruby, who fired several times but was ultimately struck with a claw, knocking her off her feet. I shot myself above it and aimed at the stinger, firing just as Akio did. Both rounds drew blood from the sac but didn't explode it, so I fired at the part joining the stinger to the tail, using the recoil to clear some distance and reload. The bullet, as grimly expected, just bounced off the armour still - said armour now having been burned from my attempt though.

Blake appeared again and slashed repeatedly at the stinger, only to disappear without doing much damage. It had several puncture wounds and would likely become unusable soon, but for now it was still in action. Weiss jabbed her rapier out and got it in one of the eyes, making it screech and momentarily flail in a mini-panic. I took full use of that panic, landing on its spiky back and pushing Punishment to its face, pulling the trigger once, twice, thrice, before using Judgement to clear some ground, though I did stab another dagger into its face. This was prove correct when a small expulsion of acidic green liquid exploded out of the remains of the dagger, coating the Grimm and hissing as it melted its armour.

The Grimm, predictably, screeched in furious pain as it swung its claws wildly as its eyes were now rendered null and void, greatly increasing our chances. I took the time it was distracted to repeatedly slash at its tail, along with Ruby, until the stinger was severed and fell off, before exploding like a normal dust crystal. It screeched again, and was finally silenced as Weiss pierced its skull, making her signature 'Hmph' and pulling the blade out, wiping it on the corpse.

''That was unexpected'' I said dryly ''Alright lets go back, we cant fight another one of those so soon''.

I got a collection of agreements as we head back to the base, completely unaware of crimson eyes watching from the shadows.

* * *

 _''Grimm using Dust? That's new''_ Ozpin commented idly from the other side of the scroll. Myself, Sierra and Devin were sat at a table, which had officially been dubbed 'the planning table'.

''Could it be possible that is the reason for the massive increase in Dust in the area? Because of the Grimm interfering in some way?'' Sierra asked both the resident scientist and headmaster.

''Perhaps'' Devin replied thoughtfully ''Though it may be possible that someone else has interfered, implanting Dust inside the Grimm''.

''This cant be good'' Sierra shook his head ''That Deathstalker was powerful, equal if not stronger than a Goliath''.

I nodded ''Hopefully they're rare and in open spaces, because if we find one in a tight spot where we cant use our speed to its full extent then we'll have some problems''.

''Yeah, problem with that is that I suspect the railways may hold some clues to this mystery'' Sierra sighed ''Meaning at some point we'll have to go underground''.

''Joy'' I joked dryly.

 _''I'll contact General Ironwood on this matter, get his opinion on this''_ Ozpin stated _''Do come back in one piece''._

With his comment said, the scroll flickered off as Ozpin disconnected the call.

''Devin?'' I said, drawing the scientists attention ''I've got some weapon designs I want to run by you, see if I can get your opinion on them''.

''Of course'' Devin smiled.

* * *

Four hours were spent on going over the designs and suggesting different ways or combat styles with the weapons, and after an hour in Devin pulled up his scroll so he could show me some of his own designs and, with Sierra's permission, showed some classified weapon designs to get my opinion on them. At the three hour mark Ruby joined us, and Sierra at some point left after he got so confused with our discussions. Devin said he could try and get me, and at my request Ruby too, into Atlas's main facility so I can discuss things with General Ironwood to set up a deal where I help make weapons for them, and they allow me access to rare materials.

Eventually we left the room, I immediately check up with Akio, the self-assigned look-out ''Anything out of the ordinary?''.

''Nothing, no Grimm _at all_ '' He stated, his frown visible even with his bandana ''They've stayed clear of the place ever since you guys killed the Duststalker''.

''Duststalker?'' I raised an eyebrow at the name.

He shrugged slightly ''Death-Stalker with dust, so Dust-Stalker''.

I shrugged ''Fair enough''.

Yang groaned, lying on her back ''I'm bored!~''.

''Well it aint going to get any more exciting than this'' Altaria chuckled ''What do we do next, Sir?''.

I turned to Sierra too with a questioning look ''I agree, I have only been given limited information, and you are more used to this type of scenario compared to my standard snipe-the-Grimm-until-they-find-you strategy''.

The elder man nodded seriously ''I've gotten in further contact with Ozpin and General Ironwood, and they've found no records of Grimm utilizing Dust, and any experiments only result in the death of the Grimm. I suggest you investigate the library again while the Grimm are currently away, then tomorrow we check the underground railway for any clues''.

Jaune stiffened ''Y-You mean we're going underground? Where _nests_ could be?''.

''Yep'' Sierra chuckled ''Don't worry son, all of us will be present so anything short of another Duststalker will be as easy as pie''.

This calmed Jaune down slightly and I went over to my ammo box, handing out the required ammo and thankfully having enough of the various types for the others to use, though Weiss didn't use a gun so the unique ammo her sword used went un-replenished. Once we were loaded up and rested we moved out, Akio once again playing over-watch while I lead my Team and Altaria down again. We took the same route down, only taking a detour through a shattered window since the entryway had crumbled in on itself.

Like Aiko said, the entire courtyard was empty - and the courtyard was several hundred metres squared, so it was very open. We didn't bother using our speed techniques, rather instead just running across the empty space, reaching the library in less than a minute.

I put a hand to my earpiece ''Vulture we're entering Hardback, keep a lookout''.

 _''Roger''._

Nodding to my team I entered the darkened building, pulling out another Light Crystal and lighting it, giving me and Ruby as small amount of light as we went off into the same pairs we had before, and I returned with Ruby to where we met the Deathstalker. With the Grimm gone I had a better chance to see the area around me, showing broken debris and a large diagonally downward tunnel that presumably led to the railway. Where the Deathstalker probably came from. I put my hand to my earpiece, pushing the button in.

''I found the location of where the Duststalker came from, a tunnel leading to the railway''.

 _''Its always the railway''_ Tai joked with a slight slur, still not fully over his hangover.

I smirked ''You're lucky you weren't down here when the Duststalker was screeching, or that hangover would be a hundred times worse''.

 _''I'd believe it''_ He groaned and I chuckled quietly.

I shined the Light Crystal around while Ruby stayed behind me, watching my back encase we were snuck up upon. The tunnel downwards had small crystalline chunks of Dust growing, which could be considered rare since Dust, well, _didn't grow_ _like a plant._ I approached the small crystals, which were no bigger than my thumb, and carefully touched one I believed to be Ice, which I was assured by the cold feeling it emanated. I gave it a tug and it came free from the compact dirt easily enough, allowing me to see the pointed end where it was embedded.

''Interesting...'' I mumbled, turning the crystal over and narrowing my eyes at the side of the crystal, which was slightly darker coloured. I almost jumped when a red eye morphed out of the side of it, eying me in instinctive anger. I shoved it back into the hole and waited, but it didn't move... perhaps they couldn't move, but holding a Dust Crystal that was also alive didn't sound overly appealing. I gaze back at the hundreds, if not thousands of miniature Grimm-Crystals and narrowed my eyes in thought. It would be possible to kill them without sustaining any damage from the miniature explosions, but there was entirely the possibility that it could bring other, larger Grimm to their position.

''Black Snow, you guys find anything?'' I asked into the headset as quietly as possible, dragging Ruby back (who had been frozen since she saw the Crystals).

 _''Nothing too interesting''_ Blake answered in a bored tone.

I smiled mirthfully, even if they wouldn't see it ''Not talking about books, Black''.

She made an indignant noise _''I LIKE books, I am not OBSESSED with books!''._

''Snow?''.

 _''...she's looking at a book''._

 _''Traitor!''._

I chuckled quietly before dropping back into a serious demeanour ''Molten Magnum?''.

 _''Nothin' at all''_ Yang sighed irritably _''You guys find anything?''._

''Yeah, some Dust Crystals that might be actual living Grimm'' I said quietly, getting several surprised noises ''Yeah, I think we should wait until tomorrow before we continue, its probably not the best-''.

''Eien'' Ruby whispered, her voice the epitome of _terrified_. I immediately turned my gaze on my female companion, noting her dilated eyes and trembling hands as her white knuckles gripped Crescent Rose. I followed her gaze skyward and resisted the urge to gawk at it.

A Giant Grimm Spider, known as an Arachne, was on the ceiling, eyes burning into ours.

...

...

...

''Well'' I drawled after a long pause ''I don't suppose you'll let us go, will you?''.

* * *

 **Current Votes for Pairing with Eien(from Team RWBY):**

 **Ruby: 4 Votes**

 **Weiss: 2 Votes**

 **Blake: 1 Vote**

 **Yang: 0 Votes**

 **Next chapter I intend to put in a bit of an innocent fluffy scene with Blakey about her Faunus nature. Eien will only be dating one of them, I can assure you, but I will have some innocent fluff here and there. (Reason why I don't wanna do a poll is I'll forget to remove it once I've decided!).**

 **I have also decided that I will update this stories on a weekly basis, hopefully every Friday from today but I might forget~**


	4. Chapter 4: Tunnel Trouble

**A/N: I got a really positive response for a Ruby x Eien, so I'll be teasing and possibly giving a high chance at it. Possibly a teasing scene? It might be a bit OOC though, be warned. Also I just realised something, at the end of season 3 we got a small scene with Salem. Doesn't she look like the original winter maiden? Is it possible she was corrupted somehow and ended up becoming immortal? Could she have become greedy and wanted to keep her powers forever, and ended up as a Grimm in the process? (Or at least partly Grimm or _SOMETHING)._**

 **Its obvious Salem is older than a normal human lifespan, since she knows a lot of secrets about Remnant that have been lost to the past, so could she be one of the original maidens? They have the same look and everything, possibly she is even an ancestor of the Schnee.**

 **Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter, luv u guys~**

 **Poll at the bottom.**

 _ **NOTE: NEXT UPDATE (CHAPTER 5) WILL BE POSTED ON TUESDAY (15th of March 2016)**_

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 4: Tunnel Trouble**

* * *

''Well'' I drawled after a pause ''I don't suppose you'll let us go, will you?''.

It made no noise in response, but it did shift slightly into a more aggressive stance, which he guessed was a no. Problem with Arachne was their venomous bite that usually varied on its effects; paralysis, insanity, poison, all the classic status effects. Not to mention their ability to spit acid was quite problematic combined with their natural spider-trait webs, their weren't the fastest of ground Grimm, probably slightly slower than a Deathstalker, but still quite fast. Its bodily structure was that of a small round head with the generic white mask and markings (with four crimson eyes), a slightly larger spherical body which had four legs on each side, thin stick-like legs that were armoured with white plating, scars showing its age. The largest ball behind that was only armoured on the top, while the bottom was unarmoured.

''Don't suppose you could tell me what's down that hole?'' I said, jerking my thumb over to the hole behind me and Ruby, ignoring how said girl was looking at me like I was crazy for talking to a Grimm. Couldn't blame her, but I was more curious than crazy... same thing really.

The mandibles of the spider clicked, its eyes narrowing in apparent annoyance as it shifted dangerously. Possibly its home or nesting ground? I watched as it used four of its hind legs to lower it down a web, dropping to ground level as it walked up to me, mandible clicking in a seemingly intimidating manner, but I remained completely unfazed. It seemed annoyed by this, and snapped them right in front of my face, but I stared at it blankly, neutral.

Oh, did I forget to mention that most Arachne's heads reach a persons ankle at their youngest, and the 'general' age they reach your waist?

Well this one's face is at height with my own.

''Is it your nesting ground?'' I said, hand gently gesturing to the tunnel. The crimson eyes observed me cautiously as, to my surprise, it gave a nod ''...I see, well I am sorry for intruding, we'll leave your... territory, and leave your children alone''.

Mandibles clicked again as it hissed dangerously at me, eying Ruby threateningly. She tensed under its gaze, but I stepped in front of her, giving it a slightly more hostile stare, making my next point very clear.

''I leave with my comrades, you get left alone with your children'' I stated firmly, leaving no room for argument despite the fact I was, well, talking to a Grimm. It eyed him again, but gone was the inextinguishable hatred, replaced by... acknowledgement. It understood, in the manner it knew that I paraphrased that there was more than two of us. It was intelligent, VERY intelligent. It understood that there could be a miniature army hidden and it wouldn't know, and that if it attacked then it and its children were in danger. It was smart.

''We'll be leaving'' I said smoothly and backed-up, dragging Ruby with me as my eyes remained on the Grimm, not in a distrusting manner but more as an instinctive survival manner. It did the same, settling in front of the tunnel and staring after us, eventually I put my hand to my ear to speak to the others.

''We're leaving, Now''.

Everyone quietly obeyed and I met up with them at the entrance, eyes still locked onto the Arachne until I was out into the open, only then did I turn and gesture for my group to follow. The massive courtyard was completely empty, but I was still a bit tense from my encounter with the Grimm.

''What happened?'' Ruby asked quietly, looking at me with a mix of awe, curiosity and a tiny bit of fear.

''I talked to it'' I stated bluntly, giving a small, teasing smile ''I believe you know what that is?''.

She blushed and glared, punching me in the shoulder with all the force of a bunny ''You know that's not what I meant!''.

''I am curious too'' Blake added and got nods from everyone else.

''Well, just like I said; I talked to it'' I explained ''It had to be old, probably by several centuries. Most common Arachne don't come up to your waist, this one was eye-level with me''.

''And why didn't we just, you know, kill it?'' Yang stated like it was obvious.

I frowned in thought, absentmindedly looking at my hands for answers as the words flowed of their own accord ''Because... maybe the Grimm, aren't as evil as we believe they are...''.

They all gave me a look of 'You are fucking joking'.

I sighed ''I'm serious; why do the Grimm exist? The earliest humans have documented that Grimm have existed either from the time humans did, or before them. So why would Grimm hate us? I doubt the collective species just up and went 'We don't like you' and decided to commit mass genocide of a race they knew nothing about''.

''There has to be more to the story'' I continued at their dubious expressions ''So let me ask you this; is it possible that the early humans did something to upset the Grimm, and that is why they are intent on destroying us?''.

Yang shook her head ''I don't know, and I don't care. They wanna kill us, so we'll kill them''.

''I have to agree with her'' Blake added and Weiss nodded her assent.

''Its an interesting theory...'' Altaria hummed ''But if we did do something, then its long forgotten, and I doubt we can make friends with the Grimm; humanity fears them, and people will attack them without mercy, leading to conflict starting again''.

I sighed at the comment ''True, but I am curious as to why''.

Ruby smiled, her earlier worries easing ''Don't be sad Eien, it _was_ kinda~ awesome how you talked to the Arachne''.

''Thanks Ruby'' I smiled back at her, ruffling her hair playfully, noting but not commenting on how she seemingly leaned into my touch. She must've realised she had done so, because she blushed again as she laughed quietly in embarrassment.

''Hehe... n-no problem''.

I turned away, missing the suggestive look Yang sent her younger sister, making the girl blush darker.

* * *

''...you talked to an Arachne'' Akio said, his tone flat.

''Yep'' I drawled, sitting around the small campfire and watching the smoke ascend through a hole in the roof. Out empty tins of food sat in the corner of the room, since they made noise it was unwise to drop them out of the balcony.

''...and you convinced it to let you guys go'' He added.

''Yep'' I replied simply.

The quiet sniper shook his head, amusement in his eyes ''Well that's something you don't see everyday''.

''Eh, every couple of months it happens'' I said with equal amusement ''Who thought a ten year old me could dissuade an Ursa Major from just telling it to leave me alone''.

''Though the fact I was pointing Judgement at it may have something to do with it'' I finished with a smirk and Akio chuckled, the quiet sniper being less reclusive in our presence.

''Does this mean you can talk to Grimm?'' Ruby asked from beside me, looking (once again) at me with a mix of awed and eagerness.

I shrugged ''I presume so, maybe anyone can talk to them. Not all of them are so easily dissuaded, mainly the older variations with be easiest to communicate with''.

''You're a smiling statue half the time'' Blake said, looking from over her book ''I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't afraid of the Grimm at all''.

I shrugged again ''I'm not, but more in the fact that I don't seem to be able to experience fear. Worry yes, fear no''.

''That might be it'' Devin nodded, finishing the remains of his canned peaches ''Grimm feed on negative emotions, so if you are emotionally incapable of feeling fear, then it would likely make them less inclined to attack you''.

I smiled wryly ''So not for the first time not being able to feel fear is a good thing''.

''I can see the benefits of that'' Pyrrha added her comment, walking out of the bathroom with Jaune coming out of the other.

''Yeah, but I do sometimes wonder what it feels like to feel it...'' I murmured, a touch solemn as I looked out the balcony to the starry skies. From what I knew about it, it wasn't the best of feelings, like being paralyzed with a sinking feeling in your stomach, but I just wanted to feel it, even if once - probably best not to chance it though.

Suddenly I was jolted back to reality when Ruby elbowed me ''Don't worry about it''.

I smiled warmly at her, drawing another cute blush from her ''Yeah''.

* * *

It was an hour after when everyone was asleep did I wake up to the gentle footsteps of Blake sneaking out of the room he and the four other girls were staying in, moving to the open balcony. With equally quiet footsteps I followed her path, closing our room door behind me quietly and stopping a few feet behind her and making a slight, intentional tap of the foot. Her bow twitched oddly (or maybe it was the breeze?) and she looked back at me, showing her mild surprise at me being awake.

''Good Evening'' I smiled, standing next to her on the balcony, clad in my shorts and vest while Blake was in her black Yukata ''Why would you be up so late?''.

''Just needed to think'' She replied evenly, looking out over the night sky.

''About being a Faunus?'' I asked and she froze up, looking at me with wide eyes, fear present.

''How did you know?'' She whispers in a small voice, and I felt bad for probably putting her on the spot with that.

''I didn't'' I smiled (hiding my inner thoughts at the same time) as she blinked owlishly, realising her mistake as the fear returned more than before. I sighed and put a hand on her shoulder when she tried to back away, and internally winced when she flinched at my touch. Was she really _that_ desperate to keep her Faunus nature hidden?

''Calm down Blake'' I soothed quietly, looking into her wide amber orbs ''You know I have nothing against Faunus, and I'm not going to be angry with you, so why are you so... panicked?''.

She eased slightly at my comment, her eyes darting to their room and jerking her head lightly to indicate. I understood.

''Ah'' I hummed, voice quieting ''Is it because of Weiss?''.

She shifted uneasily, quietly replying ''Yes...''.

''I can see where this worry comes from, but don't worry about Ruby or Yang, they have nothing against Faunus either'' I said, looking into her amber orbs to convey my words ''JNPR won't mind, I wouldn't be surprised if they even noticed the difference. Weiss...''.

''She might be harder to convince, from what I've read about the Schnee Dust Company they've been targeted by the White Fang for years, so she's likely to be at least a little racist'' I continued, noticing her flinch faintly at the name of the terrorist group, signifying what I guessed ''You're from the White Fang too?''.

She shifted uneasily again ''I used to, I left a while ago, I couldn't take it anymore with all the violence''.

''I see, Weiss may be a bit hard to convince, but eventually she'll be fine'' I nodded before eying her bow ''Can I see your ears, if its alright?''.

She nodded hesitantly, reaching up to her bow and fiddling with the strings before pulling the bow off, holding it in her hand. The ears had a purple theme to them, with the inner parts being a lighter shade than the outside. They twitched slightly and I smiled at Blake, her face flushed in apparent embarrassment.

''Is it alright if I touch them?'' I said gently, conveying the sincerity of the comment and not as an insult. Her face flushed a deeper red and she nodded, lowering her head slightly as I reached up to them. I tenderly ran my hand over the back of them, repeatedly and soothingly stroked them. She surprised me when she purred like a cat, immediately flushing a dark red in embarrassment. I merely smiled and continued, forcing Blake to bite her lip to not purr, even if her body twitched with every suppressed purr.

''They're very cute'' I smiled at the Faunus girl and she turned a shade darker than before accidentally letting out a cute mewl, glaring at me a moment after. I simply smiled with mock innocence before letting her ears go with one last pat, returning my gaze to the starry night. Blake straightened up and fixed her bow back on, shifting uneasily afterwards. I pretended not to notice, waiting for her to sort out her obviously turmoil thoughts. Minutes passed in silence, the wind itself being quiet as Blake restlessly thought, so as the Leader of the Team I dutifully took charge.

''Wanna talk about it?'' I said quietly. She hesitated again, but gave a slow nod. In the absence of chairs, we just sat with our backs against the walls, facing the balcony so we could watch the stars.

''I was born into it, the White Fang'' She began quietly ''I was a member for most of my life, because back then things were different. In the ashes of war the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between human and Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as the voice of our people''.

''And I was there. I was at the front of every rally, I took part in every boycott. And I actually thought we were making a difference... but I was just a youthful optimist'' She said, voice solemn but wistful ''Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks''.

''We were setting fire to stores that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labour. And the worst part was? It was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect - out of fear'' She paused to take a breath ''So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. And instead, I would dedicate my life to being a huntress''.

''So here I am now, a criminal hiding in plain view'' Blake said solemnly ''All with the help of a little, black bow''.

I hummed, looking absentmindedly at her bow before returning my gaze to her face, to which she responded by looking away shyly, a pretty blush on her face.

''What about you?'' She asked, her intention to distract me all too clear, but I went with her silent wishes.

''Well I grew up in a hospital here in Vale, believe it or not'' I started my story ''According to the nurses, I was born without any of my basic senses, from my perspective it was only darkness for ages. After three months, my sight returned. Two weeks later my hearing arrived, and two weeks after that my voice came. Finally two weeks after that my sense of smell and touch came, allowing me to experience the things others could''.

''I was always a curious child growing up, and I still am a curious individual. I had a hard time understanding certain things, mainly the social injustice towards the Faunus. At the age of six I unlocked my Aura, and I think also my Semblance'' I continued, pausing to look at Blake as she gawked.

''You unlocked them at the age of _six_?''.

I blinked ''That isn't normal?''.

''NO!''.

''Oh''.

''Anyway'' I carried on cheerfully as Blake quietened down, listening intently to my life story ''I trained for four years, sneaking out of the hospital that I called home because of... medical complications. At the age of nine I created Judgement, my Scythe-Sniper, and at the age of ten I ventured into the forest outside Vale''.

''I survived, as I explained earlier. I brought a duffel bag with ammo, food, water, and other small necessities while fighting off Grimm, often requiring me to wake up in the middle of the night. This continued for a year or so before the Grimm started actively avoiding me, sans the big guns like Deathstalkers and Nevermore. Eventually I expanded my training grounds to Mountain Glenn and the wastelands, which I continued to use for the next four years''.

''Then one day on the way back from a hunting trip I caught Roman Torchwick robbing a dust store, and met Ruby in trying to stop him from escaping. Eventually we met Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch, and after a short conversation we came to Beacon'' I summed up shortly ''And that is my life story''.

''Mm'' She hummed ''Its strange how you were at birth, did that have anything to do with the 'medical complications'?''.

''Yes'' I nodded and was silently thankful when she didn't question further. We sat in companionable silence as we silently watched the stars, the occasional bird (or sometimes Nevermore) flying through the night sky. Soft breathing drew my attention and I realised, with a small smile, that Blake had fallen asleep despite the seemingly uncomfortable position. Acknowledging that I couldn't leave her out here, I got to my feet and (after stretching my legs slightly) knelt down and scooped the older, and slightly bigger teen up, one arm under her knees and the other on her upper back.

She shifted slightly before she smiled faintly, snuggling against his chest. I smiled down at her and proceeded back to our room, silent as a mouse as I lay her down on her bed, pulling the blanket over her before moving to my own bed, sneaking under my covers as I drifted off into my usual semi-unconscious sleep.

* * *

Ruby stirred as she groggily woke from her slumber, her entire body hidden under the blanket sans the tip of her head. She blinked slowly as she prepared to get up, only for her mind to realise that she was not alone, in that Eien was currently getting undressed, and her sleepy mind was awoken with the uncalled-for awakening. She resisted the urge to make a sound and pretend she was still asleep, eyes darting around the room. Her other teammates were gone, meaning she had slept in. Normally Eien would leave the room and allow the four of them to get dressed, then he himself would get dressed.

So, upon realising that he was going to get changed, unaware of her awakening, she had considered speaking out, but quickly got side-tracked. Namely getting lost in her own world as she stared at his toned back, while lacking in large muscles he made up for it with a lean and thin figure, made more for speed than for power. He slung on his combat uniform, allowing me to see the daggers he slid into both sides of his boots, in a secret compartment on the sole of his foot, inside and outside on his military-styled pants, the Dust Crystals he attached to his belt and the dozens of rails of ammo that lines the insides of his trench coat.

He attached some extra rails of ammo to his armoured vest, front and back, putting four of the massive 350mm rounds on his back. He put on his trench coat and tied an outer belt around his trench coat, making it so that everything below the belt would fly in the wind while the top half would remained firm. He grabbed his bandana and tied it on, leaving it down for the moment and the same with his hood. He surprised me when he turned, looked me in the eyes and smiled in his usual friendly manner.

''Good morning'' He smiled as he picked up a spare bullet, twiddling it between his fingers ''Stare much?''.

I flushed a dark red, my voice coming out in an embarrassed splutter ''S-Sorry! I didn't mean-''.

His chuckle cut me off, making my cheeks burn in more embarrassment. I felt like a schoolgirl from those manga books Yang has in her room, shy and embarrassed as Eien stood next to her, their bodies far too close for anything other - BAD THOUGHTS RUBY! BAD! ABORT! AB-

''Remnant to Ruby'' Eien smiled, amusement in his cool blue eyes as he poked her nose, bringing her back as she realised she had zoned out ''Quite embarrassed aren't you?''.

''Shut up'' She said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in her pillow in an attempt to hide her blush. After a minute of silence and blocking out her perverse part of her evil brain pairing her with her team leader she looked up, seeing him looking at the bullet in his hands blankly, a slight thoughtful look in his eyes.

''I haven't told you what my Semblance is, have I?'' He mused, looking at me again with those piercing eyes and I nodded as seriously as I could ''Hm, I guess I could show you, but you have to promise not to tell the others, okay?''.

I nodded ''Promise''.

He smiled as he glowed faintly, then suddenly the bullet in his hands glowed with him and I was blinded by a flash of silent light. It was gone in a second, and I took several seconds to recover from the blinding light and nearly gawked at the fact, in place of the bullet, was now a cookie. I blinked owlishly and he smiled, offering it to me. Without hesitation I took it and ate it as politely as I could - its been days since I had my sweet cookies, I was totally not having withdrawal.

Cookies. Not even once.

''My Semblance is Matter Manipulation'' He stated as I finished the cookie, listening intently ''It allows me to touch any non-sentient object and alter it to whatever I think, I could make a pebble a statue or a mountain a pebble, granted depending on the size difference and material difference it will cost more Aura''.

''So that cookie...'' I paused, realising I may have _eaten a bullet_.

''Its completely fine'' He assured, as if reading my thoughts ''When it comes to food, upon it transforming it becomes that object entirely. The best analogy would be the dough and cookie; you make a cookie with dough, but you cant _safely_ eat dough. I turned that bullet into a cookie, and once I did it was no longer a bullet, but a cookie. When it comes to food it will dissolve like any other food in your stomach, and wont turn back into its previous form without my explicit consent''.

I sighed, relieved ''So you can basically turn anything, into anything''.

''Within limitations of course, I cant seem to be able to transform the ground itself unless there is a limited amount of it, instead of it being connected to the entire planet'' He said and I nodded, it was logical ''I also have a limit. Through reading up on Aura and Semblance diagnostics my Semblance is directly connected to my soul; the more I use it in a short time period, the chance of it potentially killing me increases''.

My eyes widen ''That's... a huge drawback''.

He nodded, smiling regardless of his previous statement ''It is. I've roughly guessed I have around a hundred 'pieces' and that's the absolute limit, but if I were to use every piece then I would be guaranteed to die from it, as my soul would quite literally be broken like glass. I have managed to create a Grimm that obeys orders, with semi-sentient thought that allows it to receive orders, which I had used in the past to know when Grimm packs are closing in on Vale''.

''That's... AWESOME!'' I beamed and he nodded ''Doesn't that mean you could like, have infinite Lien?''.

''Yup'' He smiled innocently ''I made sure however to not unbalance the economy, only using it to buy Dust and Books from the library''.

''Mm'' I smiled, pleased. The amount of cookies I could extort from him...

I grinned in thought of it and he added ''Have you been to Lyrics' Weapon Store in downtown Vale?''.

I blinked ''Lyrics' Weapon Store?''

Eien nodded ''Yeah, its a new shop they opened on Haizen street, across from the Park, they sell a bunch of weapons and parts and things you might like''.

''We are going there when we get back'' I all but demanded and he chuckled, nodding.

''Sure thing, Ruby'' He smiled, and I swore he purred the last part, but regardless it made a slight shock travel down my spine, said feeling was intensified when his nimble fingers reached behind my neck and scratched the base of my neck, and I barely muffled the groan that came out. He was too damn good with those fingers-

BAD THOUGHTS! BAD TIME!

I must've been blushing since I woke up, since Eien had been smiling the whole time. Then again he did kinda just smile, a lot.

''Quite the pervert, aren't you Ruby?'' Eien smiled teasingly as his face came close to mine, his voice low and an unfamiliar glint to his eyes that made me both nervous and excited. It was certainly strange to see her gentlemanly leader get so... I don't even have a word to describe it, Flirty? Saucy? Playful?

All of the above, really.

I gave up then, and just went with the flow.

''And you aren't?'' I challenged, leaning in as much as I dared, staring into his cool blue eyes.

''I like to think I'm not'' He smiled, responding to the challenge as their faces neared oh so close ''Do I look like one?''.

''Not particularly'' I smiled slyly ''But you never know what kind of person lies beneath the surface''.

He smirked ''Hypocritical, Ruby?''.

''You didn't deny it''.

''I _am_ a teenage boy, mind you'' He countered reasonably ''And you aren't the very epitome of innocence either''.

''I _am_ a teenage girl, mind you'' I smirked, throwing his words back at him.

''Well how convenient is that?'' He _purred_ and I couldn't repress the shiver of... _whatever_ this was. Suddenly I felt his nimble fingers trace my ears, rubbing the sensitive edge and I reflexively arced my neck, quieting the mewl until it was no louder than a whisper. Eien used that opportunity and lightly bit on my neck and I raised a hand to my mouth to hide the moan that threatened to escape. Was this why Yang had so many boyfriends?

He moved away, the light bite forming a small hickey on her neck. He smiled slyly at her, moving away as she resisted - and failed - to pout at him. He ruffled her hair affectionately, as if they hadn't just been engaged in a heated... whatever you would call that. I wasn't sure if he was just teasing me like Yang does to guys or if he was hinting at something else. All I knew for certain was I liked it.

''C'mon, we still have a mission to do'' He smiled at her, the lightest of blushes on his own face that made him look a strange mix of handsome and slightly feminine.

I groaned and conceded with a nod ''Alright, I'll be ready in five''.

He flashed her another sly smile and left without a word, leaving her flushed and thoroughly reconsidering her opinion on her leader. Even so, her chest was fluttering like a butterfly was inside it, that she and her slowly-developing crush had done something so... heated. While she tried to push the thought out of her mind, she couldn't help the small part of her mind that wanted him to have continued, curious as to where he would've taken it.

Her cheeks blazed anew at that thought, and she swore she would die from the heat at this rate.

And she had to work with him for the next four years.

Not that she was complaining.

* * *

I smiled as Ruby walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed in her combat gear with Crescent Rose on her back. She met my eyes and immediately looked away, pink dusting her cheeks. Nobody noticed thankfully, none that I saw anyway.

I wasn't sure on how to feel with the situation with Ruby. On that end of the scale, I felt _something_ beyond friendship for her, but I was unsure if the feeling was mutual. He'd just have to wait and see, probably tease her a little as one might do.

''Alright guys, since Eien's made a sort of deal with the Arachne in the library, we'll be taking another route; the hole at the main entranceway'' Sierra started once everyone was gathered ''General Ironwood provided us with a map of the underground railway, and we'll split up into two teams; Myself, Devin, Akio and JNPR will head to the right, while ERWBY, Tai and Altaria will head to the left''.

''Got it'' We all nodded, with me pulling up my hood and bandana.

''Then lets go'' He nodded back and went to the door, unlocking it with the passcode as he led the way down the halls, still checking the area around us regardless of the lack of Grimm. We reached the hole in the ground with ease, contemplating for only a moment before I took the initiative, taking out a Dust Crystal and lighting it, dropping it into the hole. It bounced on the way down and chimed as it did so, clanking loudly as it hit the bottom, showing the area around it, completely silent.

''So how're we going to get down?'' Tai quirked an eyebrow.

''I can lift myself and five others down with my glyphs'' Weiss claimed proudly. Akio didn't bat an eye as he bluntly jumped down, gripping the sides of the wall as he skidded down to the bottom, immediately falling into a crouch and scanning the perimeter, giving a clear a moment later. Yang didn't hesitate and went down the same way Akio did, falling to the bottom and using the wall to slow her descent.

''If you could, Miss Schnee?'' Sierra smiled and Weiss nodded, forming a black glyph at her feet as she and the Atlas team stepped on, descending downwards.

Blake turned to me ''And how are we going to get down?''.

''Don't mind me'' I said smoothly, unwrapping one of the many ribbons on Blake's arms, her eyes meeting mine before she shrugs indifferently, and I take the ribbon from her, implanting a piece of my soul in it. The flash confused Blake, but Ruby's expression showed she understood what I did. I tied it around a sturdy metal railing and dangled it over the edge into the darkness, settling into a position to climb down.

''Are you sure it will hold?'' Ruby asked nervously.

I smiled ''Of course it will... probably''.

I easily slid down the black ribbon to the rocky ground at the bottom of the hole, Blake following with Ruby last. Halfway down however the ribbon snapped under their combined weight, Blake being a cat Faunus (in disguise) and a natural at this she easily used her weapon to slow her descent enough to just drop to the ground, while Ruby however fell like a rock, being unable to use Crescent Rose to slow her fall because it would get stuck. With ease I caught her when she fell, dropping into my arms much like how a certain Arc fell during initiation.

''Just dropping in?'' I said with a lopsided smirk, getting a collection of groans from my team, sans Yang who high-fived me.

''Amateur puns'' Yang snickered ''You okay Rubes?''.

Ruby, apparently remembering she was still in my arms, blushed furiously and all but jumped out of my arms ''FINE! TOTALLY FINE! YUP 100%!''.

Everyone gave her a 'look'.

''Hehe... sorry'' She had sheepishly.

I smiled ''Anyway, lets get going, me, Ruby and Blake will lead while Tai, Altaria, Yang and Weiss you at the back - that way we have someone who can use light at both sides''.

''I'll take point'' Akio stated to his team as he used his inherited Faunus night vision to scan the area around him, sniper at the ready.

''We'll stay at the rear'' Ren offered and got nods in turn.

''Devin you stay at the back of the group with them, Miss Nikos and Mr. Arc you stay up front with Akio, I'll stay in the middle for ranged support'' Sierra instructed before looking at me ''We'll meet up here in an hour''.

''Good luck guys!'' Nora sang at us and we returned the gesture, albeit with _much_ less enthusiasm. The tunnel was dark but with Blake's night vision she easily led us around any large debris, and our sight adjusted to the dark tunnel in only a few minutes enough so we could see mostly. I walked alongside Blake with Ruby a few steps behind, looking out for anything, when Ruby asked quietly;

''Um... what _are_ we looking for?''.

''Anything out of the ordinary for an abandoned tunnel'' I said with dry humour, looking at Blake and speaking quietly ''See anything?''

''Nothing, just debris'' She said with a shake of her head ''What should I be seeing?''.

''Droves of Creep Grimm'' I said with my usual dry humour ''And a bunch of other Grimm, Grimm... just Grimm and Dust really''.

''Noted'' She hummed as we continued on down the tunnel, the Light Crystal I used getting further and further away until it was nothing more than a flicker in the distance, and as we took a turn via a curved part of the tunnel. The tunnels were utterly void of any Grimm for some reason, and after meeting the Duststalker I had an inkling as to why.

We proceeded onwards in silence, our soft footfalls the only sound made. Suddenly a distant rumbling was heard, gradually getting louder. It felt and sounded like an earthquake, but years of coming to Mountain Glenn has warned my of this sound; Creep Stampede. My eyes danced around in the darkness as I searched, but the best I could find was a maintenance door that would lead to a small but adequate room.

''Creep Stampede!'' I hissed quietly to the others, grabbing Ruby by the arm and dragging the confused and worried girl towards the room, the others following my orders. Blake looked in the direction of the sound and widened her eyes, probably seeing the mass of Grimm bolting not to us, but in our general direction. I kicked the door open, revealing a dark and damp room that had a loose wire sparking, providing a flash of light irregularly. I lit a fresh Light Crystal as I entered with the others, Tai closing the heavy rusted door behind him and leaning against it, silent.

The room was, again, small. It had a few shelves on the walls and a fuse box that had been smashed in, causing the wire hanging above to spark dangerously, but even if it hit us it wouldn't do much because of our Aura. It smelt like moss and the air was heavy with dampness, probably hadn't been opened in years.

Weiss pulled out her scroll, scowling at the smell of the room probably ''I'll alert Captain Sierra's group on it''.

The rumbling approached and past us, shaking the shelves with the intensity of what could very well be hundreds of the buggers. While creeps only had two legs, they had an extremely armoured head and a vicious head-butt, capable of breaking a students bones to dust and even severely damaging a trained hunter if caught off guard. If they had also been 'mixed' with Dust, then they could prove to be quite problematic.

They waited until the rumbling became nearly non-existent before getting up and moving to leave, Tai opening the door with his partner aiming his weapon at the door, ready to blast any Grimm who were silently waiting. There was none, and Blake went out first, using her Faunus eye-sight to peak at both sides of the tunnel and nodded back to us. We followed her out onto the tracks once more, walking along our original path like nothing happened.

So imagine our surprise when, from the debris literally the perpetually endless tunnel, a Duststalker rose and lashed out with its claw. Taken aback by its sudden appearance and the fact it had been lying in wait, myself, Ruby and Blake all were hit by the side of the claw, tumbling past our teammates as our minds caught up with us. Yang immediately retaliated, pumping her fists as she fired off several rounds while I got to my feet, drawing Judgement in its sniper form and aiming it at the creatures eyes.

As if reading his thoughts, the Duststalker specifically covered its eyes with its large claws and charged us, forcing us to jump back to avoid another blunt trauma hit.

''Same strategy as before!'' I yelled over the sound of crunching metal. I noted how instead of teal and red it seemed brown, meaning possibly earth, nature or any other elemental dust properties that pertain to brown.

I got a collective nod as Ruby went to one side of the Duststalker while I went to the other, hacking at its legs, only to find its armour was stronger than the last one. A quick glance at Ruby showed she had little success as well. The spikes on the joints on the legs suddenly angled unnaturally, and I took the warning to heart and jumped back just in time to avoid a sharp stone that fired out, while Ruby was not so lucky and got hit in the shoulder, but she ultimately just winced and shrugged it off.

Weiss tried slowing it down with her Glyphs, but it only barely effected its movements. Yang was unloading round after round but it barely indented on its armour and Blake could only make tiny grazes on its unarmoured hide. Altaria was firing his magnums, obviously opting not to chance using a rocket in a tunnel, and Tai was firing madly with his SMG and shotgun in akimbo, but even that did a limited amount of damage.

Abruptly the Grimm's leg fired another spiky stone at Ruby, piercing her cloak when she tried to move and pinning her to the wall. The stinger tensed to lunge and I acted on reflex, firing behind me and landing in its flight path, raising my blade to block it. I gritted my teeth at the impact as the pointed stinger pressed against the flat of my scythe; scythes were speed and attack weapons, they had little to no defence. Thankfully Blake came to my aid, slashing at the fleshy stinger repeatedly until the giant scorpion retreated its stinger, allowing me to removed my weapon from its position and destroy the stone holding Ruby down.

''Blake, Ruby, all three of us hit the right side, then switch when it attacks'' I stated and the duo nodded, following my lead as we nimbly jumped over the Duststalker and began attacking its legs, dodging its stones that it fired and its large, brown-tinted stinger. Slowly we were whittling its armour down, drawing blood gradually.

That was until the Duststalker abruptly spun around, crashing its claw into me and Ruby, Blake's clone disappearing. We were sent hurling down the tunnel and I grunted as I smashed against a chunk of steel while Ruby skidded at my feet, groaning in tandem with me. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance but blinking when I spotted a shiny... red... crystal... at its feet.

Red Dust.

 _Explosive_.

The Duststalker, completely unaware of the danger, made to turn around back to the others, when one of its legs crushed the glowing red crystal. The crystal flared as the dust inside activated with its sudden shattering before exploding like a grenade, only a very large one. I ignored the shockwave and got to my feet, helping Ruby to her feet as she stumbled, blood running from her head that we ignored for now. As if the universe decided today would be the day it would kick my ass, the roof above where the grenade detonated began crumbling.

''Shit'' I grumbled under my breath as both me and Ruby began moving deeper into the tunnel as the roof crumbled above them. A large chunk of rock and dirt crashed in front of us, forcing us to stop lest we run into it. In the span on two seconds several more rocks crashed down, creating a wall in front of us. I scanned my surroundings, spotting a tunnel similar to the one the Arachne used, sans the weird living crystals. Ruby also spotted it and without words we both jumped down, looking up to see a hefty rock crash where we once stood.

I grunted as we slid down the steep tunnel, keeping my balance as to not tumble and roll, Ruby wasn't as lucky and did tumble - at least until I manage to right her and we slid down on our backs, ending up in another section of the railway, oddly. It looked like it was out of a horror movie, an underground form of a train depot that had rusted and aged trains. The fog had a blue-ish tint to it and the large underground area was, well, _large._ Very much so. It was completely silent however, the only movement being the gentle sway of the cobwebs in the room, too small to belong to Arachne.

However when an amused, feminine chuckle came from further in the room, he tensed. I spared a glance at Ruby and confirmed she heard it too as she looked in the general direction of the sound, getting to her feet quietly as she prepared Crescent Rose. The blood running from her head had slowed slightly but it ran over one eye, blinding her slightly as she had the eye closed as to not get actually blinded. Stealthily we both lowered onto the rails instead of the cracked and overgrown platform, falling into a crouch regardless of the pain from our still-sore backs.

I lead while Ruby stayed a step behind me as we snuck around the side of an overturned tram, the grass and vines brushing against us as I peeked around the corner. My eyes widened at the sight of several large crates of Dust, and a few dozen members of the White Fang. On top of one of the crates was a woman around Goodwitch's age, with long black hair and amber eyes, clad in a red and yellow dress. Beside her stood Roman Torchwick, grumbling to himself as he watched the Faunus terrorists.

''Get a move on you mutts'' He grumbled lowly, a look of boredom on his face. We were hidden in shadows and the grass would be to my knees if I was standing, which gave me an idea.

''Ruby, do you trust me?'' I asked in a hushed tone to the equally young student beside me.

''Always'' She smiled, responding instantly.

I reached into my coat and pulled out all my explosive-type Dust Crystals, of all different elements. I handed them to her, a total of eight of them, into her hands as she gave me a curious look.

''Use your Semblance and drop the crystals as you do so, try and drop them amongst them'' I whispered and she nodded, the slightest amount of hesitance shown in her eyes. I let eight shards of my soul slide into the crystals, settling inside them.

''I know you can do it'' I smiled at her as I unslung Judgement, crawling into the grass and concealing myself from my soon-to-be-prey's view as I aimed at them. Ruby disappeared with a swoosh as rose petals fluttered where she stood, reappearing by the now-surprised grunts as Ruby dropped a crystal, moving to another location and dropping another. When she dropped the fourth I fired, killing two grunts with one bullet and drawing their attention to me, or rather my direction.

I stayed still, watching as Ruby dropped the last crystal before leaving the area. Without hesitation I roughly pulled the shards inside them back to me, willing them to come back to be. The moment I did so they acted like an instantly-detonating grenade, eight simultaneous explosions rocking the train depot as it undoubtedly killed multiple terrorists. I didn't care for them, so I didn't dwell on their deaths. Ruby reappeared on top of the overturned tram and fired her scythe-sniper in its compacted form, picking off targets with non-lethal strikes.

''Red!'' Roman cheered in mock-happiness ''Its been _such_ a long time! And Black, You too! What a _fantastic_ reunion this is turning out to be!''.

I stood out of the grass ''So you saw me''.

He smirked along with the woman ''Surely you don't believe I would miss a sniper scope aiming at me?''.

''Point taken'' I shrugged ''And who might your companion be?''.

''Employer'' The woman corrected, her voice smooth ''Cinder Fall''.

''Eien'' I nodded.

''Ruby Rose'' Ruby said, still aiming.

''Now, why would two children be doing down here?'' Cinder said in mock concern, walking off the boxes.

''Just happened to fall down here'' I said with a blank face ''Quite literally, mind you... but who would have thought we would've stumbled across a notorious criminal and his superior?''.

''Mm, indeed'' Cinder replied evenly, looking slightly more serious now. Game time.

''Ruby, you get Torchwick'' I said smoothly and the petite reaper nodded, taking off in a burst of her Semblance and swinging her scythe at the man, who blocked with his cane. Torchwick, upon sparing a glance at Cinder, nodding faintly and drew his fight away from myself and her, close by but not close enough for either side to interfere.

I swapped Judgement into its Scythe form ''So its seems like you'll be my opponent''.

''If you can keep up that is'' She mocked back, the yellow designs on her arms glowing along with her eyes. Aura.

I narrowed my eyes, this could be a troubling opponent, especially if she was stronger than Torchwick - and she probably was, considering she was his superior. I instantly swung Judgement round in a circle, firing at my feet and launching myself above her. She dragged her hand along her arm in response before firing off a bolt of flames that was familiar, from when he first met Ruby. She launched the fireball at me and I shot to my left, evading the attack and firing behind me, plummeting towards her. She moved back just in time to avoid being impaled, her knee launching like a bullet at me.

I nimbly dodged by leaning to the side, using my scythe as a vaulting pole and swinging my body around to hit her. She moved back but I managed to clip her arm with my feet, making her stumbling _very slightly_ , but it was enough. I swung around again and launched myself off, pulling the scythe out using my momentum and swinging at her, but she easily blocked by putting her hand on the shaft, completely stopping its momentum. I fired and shot backwards, avoiding her flaming fist that went for my stomach, the power radiating off it showing she was more dangerous than she originally let on.

A high-pitched whistling sound screeched below me as a circle of orange-ish fire spawned below me, forcing me to fire my last round to avoid her. I reached in my coat and pulled out another rail of AP rounds, sliding it into Judgement and immediately firing at my feet to avoid another stream of fire. I launched myself towards her with another shot, twisting my body out of the way of another bolt of flames and lashing out with my scythe as she backpedalled, getting a cut on her stomach for her efforts. She narrowed her eyes and hissed slightly in pain, her demeanour changing to a savage snake.

Her hands shot at me like knives, repeatedly jabbing out in a knife gesture at me, forcing me to avoid them since they were coated in her Aura. That was one of the disadvantages when it came to pole-arms like scythes, spears and javelins; they weren't meant for _really_ close combat, since someone who used hand to hand or a dagger could probably sneak inside your guard and easily attack you. I had worked on my defence over the years, but one weakness that would always be impossible to counter was that he could not defend against a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, since the only real defence he hand was the shaft they could easily snake their hands around it.

However, I had a semi-counter to that.

I flipped Judgement around in an attempt to hit her, purposely letting my guard open. Her hand darted towards my open side and I widened my eyes, pretending to be shocked as her hand neared. Just before it made contact I dropped Judgement, ducked, grabbed her wrist and buried my fist in her gut. She gasped as the wind rushed from her lungs, but I pulled Punishment out and pressed it to her stomach, firing the explosive round at point-blank range, separating us as the smoke cloud erupted from where I stood. I reloaded Judgement and slid a refill into Punishment, taking cover behind a crumbling wall.

Cinder came out of the smoke a moment later, her stomach bleeding and turning her dress red as she hunched slightly. But oh boy her face...

She was _pissed_.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, I guess.

She swiped her hand and I cursed under my breath as I rolled out of the way of the pillar of flames, swinging Judgement in an arc at the bolt of flames she shot at me, slicing it in half. I resisted the urge to scowl when the two halves curved back at me, forcing me to flip over them and let them destroy the wall I had used to evade direct contact with Cinder. I might have to actually use my Semblance in this fight... no, I wont. At our current level of strength neither I or Ruby would be capable of taking either down, especially if both Roman and Cinder decided to get serious - _they were holding back_. They would escape, so it would be best to not use my Semblance, or even lie about it.

I shot towards Cinder, slashing fluidly and smoothly from years of practice as I attempted to strike her, but she easily evaded the blade of Judgement or redirected it, countering with knife-like hand stabs that would probably leave bruises. I slid inside her guard and elbowed her wounded stomach, making her hiss and return the favour by burying her knee in my side and palm-striking my face with enough force to send me tumbling back into a metal tram. I grumble another curse under my breath and got to my feet, falling into stance once again and facing off against the pissed off woman.

Suddenly she smirked, which couldn't be a good thing. She fired off a bolt of flames to her right, away from either of us- Ruby!

I turned my eyes to the right just in time to see the spear-like bolt of fire pierce Ruby's stomach, making Ruby freeze up as shock undoubtedly froze her nerves. Her head shakily looked down at her stomach, where a palm-sized hole was in her stomach, the flesh crackling and charred as blood flowed like a river. Roman hit her on the side of her head, knocking her out in what could easily be interpreted as an act of mercy, his face in a frown as he looked at us.

I felt so... numb, looking at Ruby's body. She wasn't dead, and the shot likely wasn't fatal, but the blood loss or infection could be. I might be able to heal her, but not with these two around. I was dimly aware that Cinder had used my shock to her advantage, slinging me into a train car, but I couldn't feel it. An unfamiliar feeling was rising in me, one that I had never felt before in my life.

Was it fear?

No, it was not fear.

Was it annoyance?

Far worse.

Anger?

Didn't compare. My whole body burned, both from the wounds and the strain, as I felt the emotion for the first time. I didn't examine the emotion, I didn't care, for only one thought was on my mind;

 ** _KILL!_**

Then everything went black.

* * *

Roman watched uneasily as the body of Eien twitched, having been hit full-force by one of Cinders attacks, it was a miracle that he hadn't been turned to ash, his burnt coat and skin not withstanding. Cinder began walking away to the exit, the Dust crates having been destroyed before we could fully evacuate them before the Grimm undoubtedly arrived. I however had seen something like this many times before, where the villain gets cocky in thinking that the hero is despairing, when in truth the hero is being overcome by their rage. At least that's how it was in the comics.

I watched in a tense silence as Eien got to his feet, making Cinder turn back to him. The word coming out in a snarl that seemed unbecoming off the previously cool teen, showing the hatred in his tone as clear as day.

''Die'' He intoned, and I watched wide-eyed as he was suddenly _in front_ of Cinder. Before the woman could even blink he grabbed her by the face and _slammed_ her down onto the concrete below, creating spider-webbed cracks on the ground around her head as her eyes were wide in surprise. Moving so fast that it could be considered inhuman he threw her _THROUGH_ one of the train cars, the metal tearing from the sheer velocity he threw her at. I raised my cane to fire only to find a fist in my face, my back groaning as I smashed into my own train car, instinct taking over as I rolled out of the way of the scythe he threw like a flail.

I got to my feet as Cinder returned, looking slightly pissed and slightly worried, which definitely worried me - a worried Cinder meant shit was hitting the fan at two-hundred miles an hour. Eien extended a hand and his scythe flew back into it, despite nothing being attached to it. He _blurred_ out of existence, appearing beside Cinder and swinging in an arc, which Cinder responded with dodging and firing a bolt of fire at him. It struck his leg and burned him, but he didn't even flinch, rather barrelling through it and stabbing her in the stomach, swinging his scythe while she was still attached and slinging her into another train car.

Brutal. That was the only word to describe their current situation. Black obviously had a strong connection to Red, and so when he saw her hurt he had snapped. And if he was honest, he'd rather fight a Goliath right now, this kid was _insane!_ He was a force of nature for sure, and the question nagging at the back of his mind remained permanently, giving him an eternal unease of the murderous teen; what was his Semblance?

If he hadn't needed to use it yet, then that meant he would be getting the fuck out as soon as he did use it, with Cinder or no.

I raised my cane and fired a shot at him, but he cut it in half without even looking, his gaze glaring at Cinder as the woman tore a chunk of metal out of her shoulder, hissing at the pain. The two had a five-second glare off, and I myself was becoming annoyed after I fired the third shot and he destroyed it without even looking. Cinder created a large fireball in her elegant hands, the swirling mass of firing not even making Eien stop his murderous glare. He was waiting, but for what, he did not know. Without waiting to find out Cinder fired the fireball at Eien, who merely raised his left arm in front of him.

The fireball exploded on him, engulfing him in a torrent of flames that the kid didn't even try to avoid. This left me with dread in my stomach; he had certainly demonstrated his ability to move faster than even Red, so why take the hit? He could easily dodge it, hell he didn't even block sans using his arm. I waited until the flames cleared and allowed me to see the teen, and a disgusted frown took its residence there upon seeing that his left arm was no longer in existence, nothing more than a burnt stump from the devastating attack.

However he was unfazed, and I realised why a second later. My eyes widened as a cracking sound was heard along with a tearing sound, and I watched in horrified interest as his arm _regrew_ itself from the stump, the wounds all over his body not healing though. All through this he kept glaring at Cinder, completely ignoring his regenerating arm like it was as easy as breathing. Again, to repeat my earlier statement; _THIS KID IS FUCKING INSANE!_

He took off then, and I once again suddenly found myself embedded into the hull of one of the many rusted trains and trams around the area, my back screaming in protest of the brutal punishment. I could only watch as he appeared out of thin air in front of Cinder, grabbing her by the throat as the Dust attack she was conjuring suddenly fizzled out. Her clothing glowed again, but it faded, unable to form despite it being a simple grip on her neck. She clawed at his hand, punched and kicked, even resorting to spitting at him, but nothing fazed the glaring teen, his mind set on obvious vengeance.

He raised a finger, and with apparent gentleness tapped her forehead, while uttering a soft word; ''Suffer''.

He dropped his hold on her neck, only for his knee to smash into her nose and send her onto her back. Cinder coughed as spluttered as air filled her lungs, and once she regained some amount of composure she glared at him, her arms glowing to send a Dust spell...

...only for Cinder to gasp and grab her head. Two seconds later she screamed as her whole body trembled as her legs gave out under her, screaming in a way that made me wince as her smooth and sensual voice broke from the pitch, while Eien looked on with a glare, undoubtedly having something to do with this. She squirmed as she screamed, lost in her pain until it stopped just as abruptly as before. She was sweating, her skin a few shades paler than before and a small river of blood coming from her nose and mouth, though the former was likely because of her broken nose. She heaved in breaths as she tried to stand, only each time for her to grab her head and fall back to her knees, letting out the quietest of whimpers.

Eien watched impassively the whole time, glare withstanding as he watched the once-superior woman writher on the ground beneath him. There was no sadistic glee or psychotic eagerness, only cold hatred in his already cool eyes. He hefted his scythe up and put it at her neck, and Cinder barely noticed over her current pain, unknowing of the scythe about to remove her head.

He would have, if not for a foot crashing into his face, knocking the scythe out of his hands as he glared at the new intruders.

Mercury, Emerald and Neo had arrived.

* * *

 **Current Pairing Poll:**

 **Ruby: 9 Votes**

 **Weiss: 5 Votes**

 **Blake: 3 Votes**

 **Yang: 1 Vote**

 **(Votes are counted by chapter, so a single reviewer/messenger can vote once per chapter)**


	5. Chapter 5: The Power of Hatred

**A/N: Computer crashed _again_ , so I lost a good 1k words and had to re-write it. This chapter flowed quite well actually, surprisingly. Please note that in this chapter certain events will happen that will change Canon plot slightly, Teehee. Also new concepts will enter the field, vastly changing things and canon.**

 **Remember me talking about the Winter Maiden Theory last chapter? About how Salem is possibly the Winter Maiden? Here's something to think about; what if she isn't at the top of the food chain? What if someone, a literal god, is above her and she must sacrifice all four maidens to awaken him. That would explain why she was willing to help Cinder get to where she was now, so that she would have the Fall Maiden at hand, and that it might draw out the Summer and Spring Maidens.**

 **My theory for season 4 is that the good guys will try looking for the Spring/Summer Maidens to help take back Beacon, while Ozpin will try (and possibly fail/retreat) to fight Salem - that's why the conversation took place at the end of season 3: she _turned around_ to look at someone, speaking directly at Ozpin, and no scroll was in sight. Plus Ozpin disappeared earlier after his fight with Cinder, so its possible he went to the dragon island to fight Salem (I presume that's where she is). Anyway, enough rambling.**

 **Poll at da bottom~**

 **Response to Question-PM's/Question-Reviews:**

 **Phantomwa1ker:** **''If it's counted by chapter then I choose Ruby again. And I LOVE chapter 4. It is so cool the way Eien goes nuts and beats Cinder to a pulp. However what about their Auras? Why wouldn't they protect them from the countless hits? I'm referring to Ruby and Eien when I say this''.**

 _ **-Their Aura did protect them, but considering the power difference between Cinder and Eien it was nearly unnoticeable, that also counts for when he went into badass mode against Cinder and Roman, his power went far past theirs. An example is when Cinder was using her hands coated in Aura against him, her Aura cancelled his out so it was like a normal fist fight in a sense, leaving inevitable bruises from her natural strength (Glad you like the story)~**_

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 _ **NOTE: NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ON SATURDAY (19/03/16)**_

 **Chapter 5: The Power of Hatred**

* * *

Eien glared at the three new intruders, all of which returned the glare with only the slightest of hesitance. Neo immediately made her way over to me, pulling me out of the metal as Emerald went in worried panic over to Cinder, who had curled up into a fetal position and groaning painfully.

''Careful, he's a lot more dangerous than he looks'' I warned the three new arrivals as we stared off against the still but clearly angry teen ''And as far as I know, he hasn't used his Semblance yet''.

That got their attention, for a student, hell even a Hunter, to be able to render Cinder in such a state without using their unique Semblance was worthy of attention. Eien smiled, which would've looked friendly if not for the deep hatred in his eyes - which were hidden behind his hair, making it look entirely too sinister right now, it was creepy. He abruptly vanished once again, this time appearing in front of the one who kicked him, Mercury. He raised a hand in a deft block as Eien smashed a palm strike against him, the force behind it making a loud thunderclap. The angry teen showed no mercy, grabbing the offending arm and yanking it away before smashing his knee into Mercury's stomach, having surprising athletics as he spun and smashed his other foot into the grey-haired teens face, sending him tumbling back.

He suddenly reached out behind him and grasped something, and that turned out to be Emerald as the original beside me faded into nothing. He threw her with all the strength of a Goliath into a truck beside me, making me wince as I heard at least three bones break from the impact as she gasped. Neo pirouetted over to the angry teen, her usual confidence less apparent from the display of power his hatred had given him. She waited for him to strike, as was her fighting style to counterattack. He lashed out with a roundhouse and she extended her umbrella, blocking the attack and spinning around for a following strike.

Instead her umbrella was suddenly torn from her hands by Eien as he appeared in front of her without a sound, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and head-butting her, knocking her out of his grip as she slumped to the floor, dazed. I aimed and fired another shot, but that only resulted in him cutting the attack in half with the umbrella and directing his ire on me, which was not what I preferred. Emerald was quick to attempt another sneak attack, her fake beside me only for Eien to grab her attacking hand by the wrist, snapping it with a painful jerk. She shrieked in pain, but that was quickly muffled as he back-handed her away, sending her tumbling next to the still-weakened Cinder.

Mercury, with a rare look of anger on his face, attempted to drop-kick the smaller teen only for Eien to grab his offending ankle, ignoring how his hand bled and threw the teen away. Mercury landed vertically against the side of a car before propelling himself towards Eien, punching the teen in the gut and the teen hunched over out of reflex, allowing Mercury to smash his nose with his knee. Eien palm-strike him again, sending him flying back with surprising force as a vicious snarl escaped Eien's lips, his body glowing as a tell-tale sign of his Semblance activating.

''Seele Ernten'' He snarled the unfamiliar words as the glow increased. Suddenly a spider-work network of beige light erupted around him, beams of light going all manner of directions around them. At random intervals there were small pieces inside them, like if you broke a biscuit into pieces, that is what they looked like. I myself was trapped by the beams, one against my neck, one over my right leg and the other against my left knee. I did _not_ want to touch them.

Neo had one across her neck and another one _inside_ her stomach, but she seemed to be in no pain, but had a terrified look on her face, scared of what might come from moving. Emerald and Mercury weren't touching them either, having the beams of light in random directions all around their battlefield, the pieces of whatever it was inside them at random, making those spots look more like circles. Cinder was also unharmed, the beams not even close to touching her. I waited with baited breath as Eien glared at us hatefully, the beams of light coming from behind him so the source was probably his back.

''S-Such a p-powerful Semblance'' Emerald whimpered in fear.

''This'' He growled, gesturing to the light ''Is not my Semblance''.

My eyes widened ''Eh? What?''.

He ignored me, rather turning his gaze on the already terrified Neo ''Seele Ernten, Auseinander''.

There was a tense moment of silence, before Neo screamed. Unknown to most people, Neo _could_ speak, but didn't like to because her voice was so high-pitched it reinforced the assumption she was a kid because of height, so she preferred not to use it unless it was of dire need. So when she screamed, it sounded so high-pitched it almost broke my eardrums, but the horrific sight before me didn't allow me to cover them.

Neo's body, from the point where the beam touched her, was _disintegrating into ash._ It spread up her body and down her legs as she screamed, her back arced and eyes wide with fear and pain. We could only watch in silent horror as it reached her face, showing the inside of her skull as it reached her mouth, silencing her screams even as her eyes were wide with the pain and adrenaline fuelling her now non-existent body. It only lasted seven seconds longer before her whole body was nothing more than ash, leaving us in a horrified silence, not even noticing the various metal hulls around us had disintegrated too.

''You hurt my friend, someone close to me'' Eien said, his voice in a seemingly indefinite growl/snarl ''For that, you will pay-''.

Suddenly a bolt of fire struck his side, tearing into his side and charring the flesh. He barely let out a quiet grunt, looking down at it almost as if it was just a nuisance and not a hole in his fucking side, _about the size of a BASKETBALL!_

He glared back at the form of Cinder, who stood up on shaking knees. Eien snarled and in an instant she was back on her knees, clutching her head from an invisible attack that Eien was doing. She groaned as she fell down again, unable to even kneel under the force of whatever it was. The 'Seele Ernten' shattered like glass around us, the small shards flying back to Eien as he turned his piercing glare on us. It was then, in the light of the embers of Cinder's attack, that I saw his eyes; gone was the cool blue, but now replaced by a seething royal purple, intense and deadly.

Mercury dashed at Eien, aiming a low kick at his legs. Eien jumped over it, ignoring Mercury's attempt at kicking the younger teen in the crotch despite the force behind the strike enough to shatter stone, and brought his hand down like a strike from the heavens, implanting the grey-haired teen into the concrete with his insane strength. Once again he flawlessly saw through Emerald's illusions, grabbing her by the neck and forcing her to join her partner on the ground, an inch or two into the concrete as they groaned in pain.

I aimed my cane at him since he now lacked a weapon, but before I could fire he appeared before me out of thin air, slapping my cane skyward as the shot went towards the ceiling. I took a vicious hook to the face as he took my weapon, using it to block a surprise attack from Mercury, twirling with deadly elegance and pulling the trigger, firing the Dust round within at point-blank range at Mercury, Eien having disappeared before the round even left the muzzle. He appeared again on top of an overturned tram, looking down at us with his consistent hatred. Mercury groaned as he stood up again, clutching his stomach as blood flowed like a river from his burnt chest. Emerald whimpered as she held her broken left arm, her ribs already bruising.

A sudden amount of dust and pebbles was our only warning before a large chunk of earth crushed a nearby train, followed by several smaller ones. We all looked up and paled at the sight of the crumbling roof, large chunks of rock and debris falling. Emerald immediately went and picked up Cinder, with the help of Mercury, and came over to me, looking at me for an order. Eien had a similar mentality, his hatred dimming as he appeared beside Ruby and picked her up, before disappearing again, this time not reappearing, although their weapons disappeared with them.

I turn towards our exit, a tunnel that led to the surface ''Lets get the hell out of here!''.

''Aye, Aye captain'' Mercury grumbled while Emerald laughed, no mirth in her tone but desperate less-than-sane humour.

''We are so fucked!'' She cheered mockingly, and I couldn't agree more.

 _'Fuck you Black, just fuck you'._

* * *

I woke up with a gasp, flailing momentarily as my head surged in pain. I looked around, I was in a small control room in the railway and my scroll was beeping idly, signalling a message. I ignored it for the moment, allowing myself to get adjusted to my bearings. It wasn't too big, probably designed for no more than three people with a few ancient control boxes, dead fuses in them. It was barren and empty, but hospitable enough, and it was night judging from the clock on the wall, still ticking even after all these years. Ruby was to my right, lying against the same wall I was lying against, asleep with a peaceful look on her face. That was until she woke up slowly, looking at me in confusion.

''Eien?'' She murmured in confusion, meaning to get up before she winced, clutching her stomach for some reason. A memory flashed through my mind, of Cinder hitting Ruby through the stomach with a bolt of fire, the anger accompanying it rising slightly, but faded just as quickly as it came.

''W-What?'' She murmured to herself, looking a mix of confusion and fear as she looked at her stomach, realising there was no hole as she looked at me. Another memory flew through my head, the words leaving my mouth of their own accord.

''I healed you'' I said, watching as she felt the phantom pain ''Are you okay?''.

''I don't know'' She mumbled, unconsciously leaning against me as she looked up at me ''There no hole, but I can still feel it... the pain''.

I Shh'ed her, hugging her ''Its fine, you're safe''.

She blushed again, looking away shyly ''Y-Yeah''.

''You're too cute Ruby'' I smiled and she blushed darker.

I chuckled and ran a hand through her hair, she initially stiffened under the touch but relaxed a moment later, allowing me to run a hand repeatedly through her hair in a soothing manner. She didn't object to it, gaining a slightly distant look in her eyes and blushing periodically for whatever reason. I pulled out my scroll, checking the messages tab; ten messages.

The first was from Yang; _Are you guys okay?!_

Second also from Yang; _Hello?_

Third from Blake; _Eien? You there?_

Fourth from Yang; _Is Ruby okay?_

Fifth from Weiss; _Hello? Where are you?_

Fifth, sixth and seventh from Nora; _Hello?~_

Eighth from Ozpin: _If you are reading this message, then try and head back to your apartment, WBY, JNPR and Captain Sierra's team have been evacuated for their injuries, upon contact we will send a bullhead for you. Good luck._

Ninth from Ozpin: _Your team is worried about you, but I doubt you would die after only a week._

Tenth from Yang: _Please come back, both of you_

I winced at the last one, but pushed that feeling aside. I clicked the button to reply to Ozpin, noting his paraphrasing, but a screen appeared, reading 'Unable to Connect to DustNet servers'. I scowled faintly and checked the date, matching it up with what Ozpin said; it was ten days since this operation began, and seven days since we enter the tunnels, which was strange... that meant they had been out for seven days.

''Hey Ruby'' I asked, making the girl give me a confused look when she saw my frown ''Have you woken up at all, after we fought Cinder?''.

She shook her head ''No... why? Is something wrong?''.

''We've been out cold for seven days straight'' I said bluntly and her eyes widened in surprise ''The others are worried, and I cant get a connection until we reach the surface''.

Ruby pulled out her own scroll and showed me her messages tab; 495 messages, 475 of them from Yang.

I chuckled, running another hand through her surprisingly soft hair ''You have really soft hair''.

''Thanks?'' She giggled.

''Mm, lets go'' I said and she nodded and made to get up, before she tugged on my arm, pointing to the wall.

''What's that?''.

I turned and blinked at the wall I had somehow missed. It was covered in a crimson rock, shining in the dull light of the room. I walked over to it and ran a finger over the tough but smooth surface, memories dancing in my mind from the various people I had 'absorbed' as I dubbed it, since saying killed was too brutal. I remember a Huntress that used something like this, it was a hard material... Adamantite. Adamantite was an extremely rare metal that was hard to come across, and even information on it was scarce because of its rarity. It was used once in the Great War, an unknown warrior who identified himself only as the 'Crimson Ronin' came and slaughtered entire armies, because their swords or Dust Weaponry couldn't break his armour, making him nigh invincible.

After the war ended, he disappeared and took the legendary metal with him, only telling a handful of people what the metal was called, and that is how the legend of Adamantite started. This _had_ to be Adamantite, it was tough feeling but smooth at the same time, had a shiny crimson colour and seemed durable... only one way to test it. I coated my fist in Aura and smashed it against the ore, but like I expected it didn't dent in the slightest, while I felt my fingers bruise from the strain.

''Eien?'' Ruby said in puzzlement at my actions.

''Its Adamantite'' I said quietly and Ruby's eyes widened, mouth hanging open.

''...really?'' She asked, breathless.

I nodded ''Yes, but I'm afraid we have no way to move it... yet. Lets focus on getting out of here first, then we can come back for it - its not going anywhere''.

Ruby deflated slightly but nodded, following me as I left the room into the railway tracks once more. I couldn't see anything familiar, but it had an odd sense of familiarity. I dismissed that thought, making sure Ruby was close behind me before looking at the map on my scroll, if we went straight ahead we would end up at the station, and from there we could take the stairs up. Decision made, I silently led the way down the dark tunnel, their eyes adjusting to the darkness quickly. Ruby walked next to me, leaning on me slightly as she hobbled a little after 'bashing her knee'. She does that awfully quietly.

We made it to the station quickly, only for me to frown at the large cluster of Grimm stationed there. Probably... two dozen of them, all Creeps. I looked around but could find no way to sneak around them, if they weren't smelt out that is. I look behind me at Ruby, who looked unsure but smiled at me, showing she supported whatever decision I made.

So, I surprised her by walking out in the open, with her following uncertainly. The Creeps immediately noticed us, but strangely didn't attack, instead watching us as we walked past two large ones, staring at Ruby with natural hatred while looking at me with uncertainty, it was certainly... concerning. One stepped forwards towards Ruby, but I drew and pointed Judgement at it and it cowed away in an instant. I kept a look of blankness on my face as I walked up the steps, Ruby following obediently behind as she tried to not look at the Grimm.

Sunlight hit us like a flare as we walked out, the brightness blinding me for a moment or two before my vision adjusted slightly. We were on the other side of town from the Great Library, since the train station was on the opposite side of town and, well, we just left said train station. I led the way towards it, any nearby Grimm giving me a look before ignoring us, which was slowly starting to become unnerving. Why were they... _afraid_ of him? He wasn't complaining, but it made him feel mean, even if he wasn't doing anything.

''You okay, Ruby?'' I murmur to the girl as we walked through an abandoned warehouse, getting that much closer to the apartment complex.

''Mm'' She hummed quietly ''Why are they, you know...?''.

''I don't know Ruby'' I responded, a tad sombre ''I honestly, truly don't know''.

* * *

The members of JNPR and WBY walked into Ozpin's office, hope sparking in them as they visited again, hoping for some news. They stopped in front of the professors desk as he looked out the window, sighing as he turned to face them.

''I'm afraid I have no more news for you'' He stated sombrely ''I think its time to _consider_ that they may not be coming back''.

''Ruby wouldn't die so easily!'' Yang burst furiously, adding ''Neither would Eien, the tough bastard...''.

''Language, Miss Xiao Long'' Ozpin reminded and Yang nodded apologetically ''While Miss Rose and Eien may be very skilled individuals, not even they are excluded from death, none of us are. I am not saying to give up hope, but... it would be wise to take some time to understand that they _may not_ _be coming back_ ''.

Yang grit her teeth, anger and sadness merging ''D-Dammit!''.

Blake looked down sombrely, both Ruby and Eien were very good teammates, good _friends_. It was almost ludicrous at times to think someone of their calibre would be brought down, but if the collapse didn't get them, then the Grimm would. Eien had been an especially close to her, one of the few she could call a close friend. He accepted her Faunus nature without even blinking, even playfully teasing her with them and being surprisingly good at massaging them (nimble fingers and all). She was saddened by their probable death, but she had see similar things in the White Fang, she would get over it. Eventually.

Weiss was equally as sombre. While not having a particularly close relationship besides friends, she enjoyed the times Eien would come to her to talk. Sometimes because he wanted to know about things she would having particular knowledge about, mainly dust as swordsmanship, and other times he would just come to talk for the reason of talking. Ruby, while sometimes hyper to the point of insanity, was a very kind and innocent soul, and to see her die at such a young age made Weiss gulp; both because it reinforced that someone as skilled as Ruby could die as easily as she did, and that her _friend_ would not be back at the dorm to pester her.

Jaune grimaced, both Eien and Ruby had been good friends of his. The young teen had mended his ties with his friends and beaten Cardin's ass so hard that he could make Cardin flinch just by giving him a pointed look, and gotten the aforementioned bully of his back. Ruby had been a great help when it came to improving his reaction times, since she was mainly about speed and all, and there was only so much Pyrrha could teach - and speed was what Ruby represented really; fast and excitable.

Pyrrha was saddened by her friends probable passing. Ruby and Eien had been good friends with her, both eager to spar with her to hone their skills. They never looked at her as the strongest student in Mistral, but as a fellow trainee and friend. It was good training for her too, since both had a habit of using the recoil of their guns to move around quickly, forcing her to remain equally as quick. She would miss them dearly, especially since both had such enthusiasm and eagerness (though Eien's was more subtle, hiding behind his smile). She still held hope for their return.

Ren and Nora were on the same boat; sad. Ren had grown close to Eien, both sharing similar tastes in books and personality. Eien was the only other student Ren knew of that could withstand Nora on a sugar-rush, and what a day that was. Ruby reminded him of Nora a lot, only far less excitable (until a weapon entered the equation). Nora herself was just plain sad at their deaths, she liked Ruby and Eien - the latter was like a second Ren, only more talkative. By a bit.

Ozpin sighed ''I-''.

He was interrupted as his scroll beeped. He sighed again and picked it up, opening the message tab, and widened his eyes. He tap and rapid set of keys for almost a minute before closing the scroll, placing it down again.

''It seems... you won't have to come to terms with their death after all'' Ozpin said, smiling behind his mug at them as they smiled in tandem ''I've sent an emergency Bullhead, it should reach them in ten minutes''.

''Are they alright?'' Yang asked immediately.

''Well...'' Ozpin paused, tapping at his scroll. The floor to their left opened with a rough _thunk_ as a large screen rose out of it - gaining more than one 'look' - as it flickered to life, revealing the large courtyard from beforehand. Eien was standing in front of the camera, walking with Ruby apparently holding it.

''Hi guys!'' Ruby smiled as she tilted the screen back so they could see her face, and the sky behind her.

''Ruby!'' Yang exclaimed happily, looking one step away from glomping the screen.

''Yang!'' Ruby smiled back ''Is everyone okay?''.

''We should be saying that to you, dunce'' Weiss smiled at the screen as the other nodded their assent.

''Eh, we're good'' Ruby shrugged in a nonchalant manner as she tilted the screen so Eien could be seen ''Say hi Eien!''.

''Hi'' Eien chuckled at her as they walked, and everyone in Ozpin's office grew worried when they saw an Ursa staring at them. They were about to voice it urgently when the Ursa _cowed away_ from them, lowering its head and taking a few steps back. This puzzlement grew when they saw several Beowolves do the same thing, whimpering as they did so.

''Uh...'' Jaune's statement(?) was the epitome of what they were thinking; what in the actual fuck?

''I don't know'' Eien shrugged ''I'll... tell you the whole story about it when we get back, only that its important... and may have some of the answers you were needing, Professor Ozpin''.

Ozpin frowned at that ''Would you like to reiterate that?''.

''The Queen'' Eien said with so much venom even Ozpin flinched, surprised the calm and collected Eien had suddenly become so hostile. His tone however immediately changed back to its normal calmness ''By the way, when is the Bullhead here?''.

Ozpin blinked at the very bi-polar change, but dismissed it ''Eight minutes, approximately''.

''Alright'' Eien nodded ''We aren't very wounded, but our Aura is a bit low... as is the battery for our scroll, I'm afraid we'll have to continue this conversation later. Until then!''.

The screen flickered to black as the video feed was cut off. Everyone sighed in relief, knowing their friends were still alive and well, though at the back of their minds they all pondered on the oddness of the video before shrugging it off. They could tell them when they got back.

* * *

The ride back on the Bullhead was relatively uninteresting. Medics were on standby but we waved them off, since all we needed really was some food, water and rest to recover our Aura and in my case the shards of my soul I had used during the trip, since it would take several days to recover all of them. Honestly it left him with a slightly empty feeling, like when you eat food but are still hungry because your stomach hasn't fully ingested the food. Ruby had her head on my shoulder the whole way back as we stayed in silence, her eyes closed but only feigning sleep - it was the only real way to get the nurses off them. I, on the other hand, just gave them a glare that made them shrink in fear. It was almost amusing... was I becoming sadistic? Nah, probably not at least.

During the journey back I took off our earpieces - the mics had broken on them as had the receiver, but the memory drives on them remained. I uploaded the files onto my scroll (Since Ruby's had run out of charge) and put them on the main drive of it, so that I could sort through it. The earpieces had micro cameras on them, I wasn't informed about it but after checking it myself I found one, so whether the others forgot to tell me or if they didn't find it worth mentioning, I don't know. I remembered everything up until I felt... _that_... then I just, blacked out I guess. Considering I was in a different location as to when I blacked out my body must have gone on autopilot or something, but from my fragmented memories it was hard to tell.

The aircraft jolted to a stop as we landed and Ruby feigned a drowsy awakening while I pocketed my scroll. Ruby leaded me out as I walked behind, my hood and bandana still up. It was then I only realised that while _we_ may be not too bad off, our clothes were. Part of my pants on my right leg had been burned away, the side of my jacket was also gone (how did I not notice _that?!_ ) and the area below it was coated dried crimson, and several other body parts either missed small chunks of clothing or had dried blood on or around them. Ruby wasn't as bad off, but the front and back of her dress had been stitched with a piece of plain black cloth because I lacked the proper skills to mend it and cover her exposed stomach.

When we exited the airship we were immediately greeted by the sight of JNPR and WBY approaching us at a quick pace, reaching the launch pad in seconds. Ruby was immediately engulfed in a death hug by Yang, the older blonde only letting go once Blake pointed out their wounds.

''Geez you guys look like shit'' Yang stated with a raised eyebrow ''What the hell happened?''.

''A fair bit'' I shrugged slightly ''Though I think it would be best me and Ruby get changed, checked at the infirmary, then explain, okay?''.

They shrugged ''Sure''.

* * *

 **[Bold is used to indicate what is happening on the screen, just to help differentiate. Also these paragraphs are rewrites because of a video recording]**

''Good to see you two in the land of the living'' Ozpin said with a hint of dry humour in his tone, sipping his coffee as always.

''Certainly is'' I replied with equal humour ''I doubt Ruby could live a day without her cookies, and I doubt the afterlife has those''.

He chuckled and Ruby gave me a cute glare. Myself, RWBY and JNPR lined up and faced Ozpin, with me having already sent his scroll the video and skipping it to the appropriate part. With my scroll in hand I pressed play, letting the video start. No comments were made as they watched me and Ruby tumble down the tunnel, from Ruby's perspective and nearly making Jaune throw up from the constant rolling until I steadied Past-Ruby, much to the amusement of my team. Again it was relatively quiet until we found Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall, making Glynda narrow her eyes in recognition. Blake was also tense at the sight of the White Fang members, trembling slightly and doing a relatively bad job at hiding it.

Nora cheered when I silently detonated the crystals ''BOOM!~''.

Again there was silence as I introduced myself as did Ruby, and Cinder. I spoke then ''Cinder Fall. She's the one who has been given the alias 'The Queen', Professor''.

''How did you get your hands on such information?'' Glynda asked.

I raised an eyebrow ''The library''.

''Oh''.

 ** _''Ruby, you get Torchwick''_ Eien said quietly and the screen bobbed as Ruby nodded, disappearing in a cloud of Rose petals as she appeared in front of Roman and swung down, clashing with his cane with a resounding clang. She grunted as she spun around, Roman easily stepping out of her circle of influence as she missed, allowing him to take a shot with his cane at her. With ease she used the recoil of the gun to avoid the shot, attempting to fire at him as he evaded.**

The fight continued, everyone in the room giving me and Ruby a concerned look when we tensed.

 **On the screen, a sudden 'whoosh' sound echoed behind Ruby and before she could turn around the sound of something hitting flesh along with a charring sound. The camera shook as it slowly descended downward as Ruby looked at her stomach.**

All of the girls in the room gasped when they saw the hole in Ruby's stomach, skin around it charred and crackling as it melted. Ruby, from beside me, gripped my hand as she grimaced and I mimicked the expression. Ruby's past self suddenly fell onto her side, the camera conveniently looking over to me and Cinder, allowing us to see my shocked expression.

''Ruby...'' Yang murmured to her sister in concern, eyeing the spot where the attack hit before looking back at the screen, apparently not deciding to comment on Ruby holding my hand.

 **Eien was frozen in shock, even as Cinder hit him with a literal wave of fire that sent him flying into the wall, his trench coat partially burning from the hit as his body made an audible ' _snap'_ sound as the teen hit the side of a tram.**

Everyone winced and shoot me a look.

''And this is where things get weird'' I murmured with a frown ''I don't remember anything after this...''.

 **Eien's body crumpled as if his spine had been shattered, hitting the ground with a muted thud. Cinder scoffed and muttering something about kids before turning and beginning to walk way, Roman on the other hand kept staring at the limp form, eyes widening slightly when it slowly got to its feet, hair overshadowing my eyes, his face contorting into a vicious snarl, visible after the bandana was burnt away.**

 ** _''Die''_ He intoned. Eien was suddenly in front of Cinder, grabbing her face and smashing it against the ground, then throwing her _through_ a metal train. Roman raised his cane to fire only for his target to phase into existence in front of him, punching him in the face with inhuman strength, the train behind him groaning as he smashed against the wall of the train car. His eyes widened as he leaned to the side, missing Judgement that buried itself in the hull beside his head.**

''Damn'' Yang whistled lowly, getting several quiet agreements.

 **Eien's form stood up straight on the middle of the platform, glaring at Cinder hatefully. Roman also got to his feet and Eien held his hand out, making Judgement fly into his awaiting hand, with nothing connecting the two.**

''Huh...'' I hummed ''Looks like I'll be experimenting after this''.

Weiss glared at him ''Not in our room! I do _not_ want to have to replace the bed you blew up like last time!''.

I smiled innocently ''For science?''.

''No!'' The heiress huffed, ending their brief banter as we turned back to the screen.

 **Eien blurred and vanished from existence, appearing beside Cinder and swinging in an arc, which Cinder responded with dodging and firing a bolt of fire at him. It struck his leg and burned him, but he didn't even flinch, rather barrelling through it and stabbing her in the stomach, swinging his scythe while she was still attached and slinging her into another train car.**

''Brutal...'' Blake murmured, sending me a concerned glance, to which I responded with a shrug.

 **Roman raised his cane and fired a shot at Eien, but he cut it in half without even looking, his gaze glaring at Cinder as the woman tore a chunk of metal out of her shoulder, hissing at the pain. The two had a five-second glare off, and Roman was becoming visibly annoyed after he fired the third shot and Eien destroyed it without even looking. Cinder created a large fireball in her elegant hands, the swirling mass of firing not even making past-me stop his murderous glare. He was waiting, but for what, they did not know. Without waiting to find out Cinder fired the fireball at him, who merely raised his left arm in front of him.**

''What are you doing?!'' Ruby cried at me.

I shrugged again ''I told you; I have no memory of this, my body might have gone on autopilot or something like that, or I might have gotten a concussion afterwards''.

 **The fireball exploded on him, engulfing him in a torrent of flames that he didn't even try to avoid. This left his opponents confused; he had certainly demonstrated his ability to move faster than even Ruby, so why take the hit? He could easily dodge it, hell he didn't even block sans using his arm. They waited until the flames cleared and allowed them to see the teen, and a disgusted frown took its residence upon Roman's face upon seeing that his left arm was no longer in existence, nothing more than a burnt stump from the devastating attack.**

Ruby immediately grasped my arm, shaking it and making sure it was real. I smiled faintly and patted her head affectionately, making her blush again. She seemed to be doing that a lot recently.

''Why didn't you dodge?'' Pyrrha asked, before I sent her a flat look and she responded while looking back at the screen ''Oh, memory loss, sorry''.

 **However Eien was unfazed, and the duo realised why a second later. Their eyes widened as a cracking sound was heard along with a tearing sound, and they watched in interest as his arm _regrew_ itself from the stump, the wounds all over his body not healing though. All through this he kept glaring at Cinder, completely ignoring his regenerating arm like it was as easy as breathing.**

''Hm... interesting'' I hummed, looking at the arm Ruby was still clutching me like a lifeline.

''Don't go chopping your arm off now'' Yang teased, looking at me and Ruby deviously at our position.

''No promises'' I smiled mirthfully, getting a weak punch to the side from Ruby ''Okay, probably- fine, I won't remove my arm''.

''Good'' Ruby said smugly before turning back to the screen.

 **He took off then, and Roman once again suddenly found himself embedded into the hull of one of the many rusted trains and trams around the area. Roman could only watch as Eien appeared out of thin air in front of Cinder, grabbing her by the throat as the Dust attack she was conjuring suddenly fizzled out. Her clothing glowed again, but it faded, unable to form despite it being a simple grip on her neck. She clawed at his hand, punched and kicked, even resorting to spitting at him, but nothing fazed the glaring teen, his mind set on obvious vengeance.**

''Damn, you're even more badass when your pissed'' Yang smirked at me.

I tilted my head to the side like a cat ''I... don't think I was angry... it was... hate?''.

''Hate?'' Weiss repeated.

I nodded slowly, piecing the words together ''I've never felt Hate before, I've rarely been angry as it is, so it might be because that was the first time I experienced the emotion I sort-of empowered myself?''.

''Well said'' Ozpin nodded.

 **He raised a finger, and with apparent gentleness tapped her forehead, while uttering a soft word; ''Suffer''.**

''Huh?'' I blinked, innocently confused ''I'm not a sadist...''.

 **He dropped his hold on her neck, only for his knee to smash into her nose and send her onto her back. Cinder coughed as spluttered as air filled her lungs, and once she regained some amount of composure she glared at him, her arms glowing to send a Dust spell...**

 **...only for Cinder to gasp and grab her head. Two seconds later she screamed as her whole body trembled as her legs gave out under her, screaming in a way that made Roman wince as her smooth and sensual voice broke from the pitch, while Eien looked on with a glare, undoubtedly having something to do with this. She squirmed as she screamed, lost in her pain until it stopped just as abruptly as before. She was sweating, her skin a few shades paler than before and a small river of blood coming from her nose and mouth, though the former was likely because of her broken nose. She heaved in breaths as she tried to stand, only each time for her to grab her head and fall back to her knees, letting out the quietest of whimpers.**

Everybody winced as they watched, even I was slightly put-off by the brutal display.

''That's...'' Jaune swallowed.

''...Brutal'' Weiss finished quietly, sparing me a glance of concern.

 **Eien watched impassively the whole time, glare withstanding as he watched the once-superior woman writher on the ground beneath him. There was no sadistic glee or psychotic eagerness, only cold hatred in his already hidden eyes. He hefted his scythe up and put it at her neck, and Cinder barely noticed over her current pain, unknowing of the scythe about to remove her head.**

We all watched in anticipation...

 **He would have, if not for a foot crashing into his face, knocking the scythe out of his hands as he glared at the new intruders.** **Three people arrived. One was a dark-skinned girl with mint-green hair, the second was a girl with an umbrella and a brown/pink/white colour scheme and the last was a male teen with grey hair.**

''I know the grey-haired one is called Mercury, the green haired one Emerald and the umbrella girl is Neo'' I stated, a fuzzy memory coming to my mind that made me frown ''...and it doesn't turn out good for one of them''.

 **Eien glared at the three new intruders, all of which returned the glare with only the slightest of hesitance. Neo immediately made her way over to Roman, pulling him out of the metal as Emerald went in worried panic over to Cinder, who had curled up into a fetal position and groaning painfully.**

 **''Careful, he's a lot more dangerous than he looks'' Roman warned the three new arrivals as they stared off against the still but clearly angry teen ''And as far as I know, he hasn't used his Semblance yet''.**

''Now that I think about it, what is your Semblance?'' Pyrrha asked.

I smiled slyly ''I'll show you guys after''.

They all nodded, accepting the answer while I shared a secret smile with Ruby.

 **Eien smiled, which would've looked friendly if not for the deep hatred in his eyes, making it look entirely too sinister right now, it was creepy. He abruptly vanished once again, this time appearing in front of the one who kicked him, Mercury. He raised a hand in a deft block as Eien smashed a palm strike against him, the force behind it making a loud thunderclap. The angry teen showed no mercy, grabbing the offending arm and yanking it away before smashing his knee into Mercury's stomach, having surprising athletics as he spun and smashed his other foot into the grey-haired teens face, sending him tumbling back.**

Yang whistled again ''You and me are having a spar later, I wanna see you in action''.

 **Eien suddenly reached out behind him and grasped something, and that turned out to be Emerald as the original beside Roman faded into nothing, his grip on her neck. He threw her with all the strength of a Goliath into a truck beside said man, making Roman wince as he heard at least three bones break from the impact as she gasped. Neo pirouetted over to the angry teen, her usual confidence less apparent from the display of power his hatred had given him.**

''You can see through illusions?'' Ren asked quizzically.

I gave him a blank look.

''Right, memory loss''.

 **Instead her umbrella was suddenly torn from her hands by Eien as he appeared in front of her without a sound, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and head-butting her, knocking her out of his grip as she slumped to the floor, dazed. Roman aimed and fired another shot, but that only resulted in Eien cutting the attack in half with the umbrella and directing his ire onto him, which was not what he obviously preferred. Emerald was quick to attempt another sneak attack, her fake beside Roman only for Eien to grab her attacking hand by the wrist, snapping it with a painful jerk.**

Everyone winced again ''Damn...''.

 **She shrieked in pain, but that was quickly muffled as he back-handed her away, sending her tumbling next to the still-weakened Cinder.**

''That's the pimp hand''.

Everyone looked at Ruby.

''Hehe... sorry''.

 **Mercury, with a look of anger on his face, attempted to drop-kick the smaller teen only for Eien to grab his offending ankle, ignoring how his hand bled and threw the teen away. Mercury landed vertically against the side of a car before propelling himself towards Eien, punching the teen in the gut and the teen hunched over out of reflex, allowing Mercury to smash his nose with his knee. Eien palm-struck him again, sending him flying back with surprising force as a vicious snarl escaped Eien's lips, his body glowing as a tell-tale sign of his Semblance activating.**

Everyone perked up, but I frowned.

''That's not my Semblance'' I frowned and they looked confused ''If it is, then only I can use it like that when I'm... _like that_ ''.

 **''Seele Ernten'' Eien snarled the words as the glow increased. Suddenly a spider-work network of beige light erupted around him, beams of light going all manner of directions around the criminals. At random intervals there were small pieces inside them, like if you broke a biscuit into pieces, that is what they looked like. Roman was trapped by the beams, one against his neck, one over his right leg and the other against his left knee.**

''Seele Ernten?'' I repeated with a frown ''...the word has a sense of nostalgia, but I don't remember it... I'll need to look into it later''.

''It looks cool'' Ruby smiled and I returned the gesture.

 **Neo had one across her neck and another one inside her stomach, but she seemed to be in no pain, but had a terrified look on her face, scared of what might come from moving. Emerald and Mercury weren't touching them either, having the beams of light in random directions all around their battlefield, the pieces of whatever it was inside them at random, making those spots look more like circles. Cinder was also unharmed, the beams not even close to touching her. Roman himself waited with baited breath as Eien glared at them hatefully, the beams of light coming from behind him so the source was probably his back.**

 **''S-Such a p-powerful Semblance'' Emerald whimpered in fear.**

 **''This'' He growled, gesturing to the light ''Is not my Semblance''.**

''Told you''.

 **Roman's eyes widened and he blinked ''What?''.**

 **Eien ignored Roman, rather turning his gaze on the already terrified Neo and extended a hand ''Seele Ernten, Auseinander''.**

I noticed Ozpin stiffen at the name, but said nothing sans giving him a meaningful look, which he responded with a 'We'll talk later' look.

 **There was a tense moment of silence, before Neo screamed. She screamed, it sounded so high-pitched it almost broke their eardrums, but the horrific sight before the viewers didn't allow them to cover them.**

''What... the actual... fuck?'' Yang mumbled with wide eyes.

 **Neo's body, from the point where the beam touched her, was _disintegrating into ash._ It spread up her body and down her legs as she screamed, her back arced and eyes wide with fear and pain. Her allies could only watch in silent horror as it reached her face, showing the inside of her skull as it reached her mouth, silencing her screams even as her eyes were wide with the pain and adrenaline fuelling her now non-existent body. It only lasted seven seconds longer before her whole body was nothing more than ash, leaving them in a horrified silence.**

 **''You hurt my friend, someone close to me'' Eien said, his voice in a seemingly indefinite growl/snarl ''For that, you will pay-''.**

 **Suddenly a bolt of fire struck his side, tearing into his side and charring the flesh. He barely let out a quiet grunt, looking down at it almost as if it was just a nuisance and not a hole in his side.**

Again, Ruby patted his side to make sure it was still there.

 **Eien glared back at the form of Cinder, who stood up on shaking knees. Eien snarled and in an instant she was back on her knees, clutching her head from an invisible attack that Eien was doing. She groaned as she fell down again, unable to even kneel under the force of whatever it was. The 'Seele Ernten' shattered like glass around them, the small shards flying back to Eien as he turned his piercing glare on his opponents. It was then, in the light of the embers of Cinder's attack, that they saw his eyes; gone was the cool blue, but now replaced by a seething royal purple, intense and deadly.**

Ruby immediately leaned in front of me, checking my eyes ''But... they're blue''.

''Light blue'' I corrected.

''Same thing'' She smiled and I chuckled, nodding.

 **Mercury dashed at Eien, aiming a low kick at his legs. Eien jumped over it, ignoring Mercury's attempt at kicking the younger teen in the crotch despite the force behind the strike enough to shatter stone, and brought his hand down like a strike from the heavens, implanting the grey-haired teen into the concrete with his insane strength. Once again he flawlessly saw through Emerald's illusions, grabbing her by the neck and forcing her to join her partner on the ground, an inch or two into the concrete as they groaned in pain.**

 **Roman aimed his cane at him since he now lacked a weapon, but before he could fire Eien appeared before Roman out of thin air, slapping his cane skyward as the shot went towards the ceiling. He took a vicious hook to the face as he took his weapon, using it as a cane and blocking a surprise attack from Mercury, twirling with deadly elegance and pulling the trigger, firing the Dust round within at point-blank range at Mercury, Eien having disappeared before the round even left the muzzle. He appeared again on top of an overturned tram, looking down at them with his consistent hatred. Mercury groaned as he stood up again, clutching his stomach as blood flowed like a river from his burnt chest. Emerald whimpered as she held her broken left arm, her ribs already bruising.**

 **A sudden amount of dust and pebbles was their only warning before a large chunk of earth crushed a nearby train, followed by several smaller ones. They all looked up and paled at the sight of the crumbling roof, large chunks of rock and debris falling. Emerald immediately went and picked up Cinder, with the help of Mercury, and came over to Roman, looking at him for an order. Eien had a similar mentality, his hatred dimming as he appeared beside Ruby and picked her up, before disappearing again, this time not reappearing, although their weapons disappeared with them.**

I paused the video ''And that's that, after that its just a bunch of walking through tunnels, so nothing important''.

It wasn't really, but the last thing I wanted them to see was me tearing through hordes of Grimm like tissue paper.

Ozpin nodded, lowering the screen into the ground with the touch of a button ''Very well, now do tell about your Semblance''.

I nodded and pulled out a pen from my pocket. In a single fluid motion I flicked the pen up, twirling it in the air as the others watched in a mix of curiosity and mild confusion. I caught the pen between two fingers and allowed a small piece of my recovering soul to enter it, intent on transforming it into a cookie. It glowed and a flash of blinding light obscured my own vision along with my companions, clearing a moment later. They blinked in surprised confusion at the cookie in my hand, no bigger than my palm, as I handed it to Ruby, who grinned and gobbled it up in a matter of seconds.

''My Semblance is Matter Manipulation, as I have named it'' I started, looking at all of them ''It allows me to change, recreate and destroy any matter or energy, as long as I can touch it. As you just saw I could change a pen into a cookie, with the cookie now tasting like one, feeling like one, and overall _is_ a cookie. I can only do it a limited amount of times in a time frame, each time I use my ability it increases the chance of my death''.

''I can use it roughly a hundred times, anytime after ninety has a high chance of my death - and once I went into a semi-coma because of it. It requires me to touch an object and project my will onto it, then it will change in a flash of light, the larger the difference in size the more of my Aura is consumed. Most of the time I cannot transform objects into other objects without knowing a fair amount about said object, such as composition, atom arrangement in rare cases, and in some cases taste and scent, etc.'' I finished.

''That's... an interesting Semblance'' Glynda nodded ''It is very powerful, nearly limitless in power, but also has grave consequence. Can you also affect living thing with it?''.

I frowned in thought ''To a very limited extent, such as slightly affecting their movements or footwork. However judging from what 'I' did during the video... its possible that in _that_ state, I could affect the brain as well, causing severe pain, unless it was her nervous system I affected''.

''With great power comes great responsibility'' Ozpin murmured, reciting the quote.

''Indeed'' I nodded ''I don't use it on other people, or in spars, both for the fact of the danger of killing or dangerously harming them and for the fact of it requires concentration, something admittedly difficult in the middle of a fight''.

''I see'' Ozpin nodded ''You're dismissed. Do take it carefully, Miss Rose, Eien''.

''Will do~'' Ruby sang cheerfully and I nodded, following her out as the rest of the group walked beside us.

''Matter Manipulation? Its quite a unique Semblance indeed'' Pyrrha smiled.

''Mm, but its taking a while to recharge'' I sighed as I looked out the window, the orange hue in the sky of the sun setting ''Probably will take a few days before I'm back to full strength, regardless of how high my Aura is''.

''Oh by the way, Captain Sierra's team was wanting to speak to you, told me to tell you to call them'' Blake added and I nodded, I would call them in a bit.

I had plans brewing, and I was sure Ruby would be excited about them.

* * *

One week later...

''Eien... should we really be here?'' Ruby asked hesitantly as we walked.

''It'll be fine'' I soothed her as we walked down the familiar tunnel, the Bullhead waiting outside. Since I had more of my Aura and Semblance than last time I made us a tunnel downwards, allowing us to make our escape quickly. I approached the small room and placed a hand on the wall, letting a single shard flow into it before roughly pulling it out, making it disintegrate into ash while (thankfully) not collapsing the roof above. I walked into the room while Ruby stood next to the cart, which I had situated on the tracks so it would be easier to move.

''Now... how to get it out of the wall...'' I murmured in thought as I looked at the large mass of Adamantite. I couldn't drill through it, since it was incredible tough - it was called Adamantite for a reason - and I couldn't melt it... so I would just have to move it. I pressed my hand against the large concentration of metal and sent a sort of ping through it with my Aura, finding that it was a rough cube, thankfully. At my gesture Ruby pushed the trolley up against the wall next to the chunk of crimson metal.

I let several shards float into the rocky area under the metal, once again making them turn to ash. Ruby was quick to use her Semblance to push the cart under the massive rock, and the metal shook as the large block of metal slid down onto it, the edge grinding against the rock walls around it, forcing me to create a pocket of space around the Adamantite to fully sit on the cart. Once it was secure so began the annoy endeavour of trying to move a block of legendary metal that weighed as much as a Bullhead probably.

Eventually we managed to get it back onto the rails, which made the job far easier as we simply just pressed our weight against it as we walked. Our troubles began anew as we then had to push it _upwards_ along the dirt trail, which I had the foresight to create a set of rails to help us. When it became apparent we were not going to be going anywhere anytime soon I transformed several pieces of scrap metal into Atlesian Knights, and at my order they helped me and Ruby push it up the hill. Five minutes later of struggling, we eventually reached the grassy top and Ruby promptly fell flat on her face in tiredness.

''Come on, almost done'' I panted slightly, reigning in my breathing as I ordered the knights to push it into the Bullhead, which they followed without question.

Ruby smiled up at me as she got up ''Have I told you your Semblance is awesome?''.

I smiled back ''Yeah, several times now''.

''Well its _awesome_ '' She grinned as we walked back to the ship.

''Why thank you'' I chuckled as we passed the Knights, who were now standing dutifully beside the metal and waiting for orders other than stand still. I walked up to the cockpit and Ruby sat beside me in the co-pilot seat, and at my order the Knights sat down, strapping in for the ride. Said ride only took twelve minutes, but instead of arriving at Beacon Academy, we were in the shoreline by said academy, the rocky cliff-face coming into view as I slowed and lowered the Bullhead. I had found a relatively small cave two days ago, and since then had created it into a rather large one.

I landed the Bullhead on the cliff, powering the engines down for the moment. Ruby got up first and began pushing the trolley and, once again, at my command the Knights complied and assisted her in pushing the block of Adamantite into the cave. I came in after and, after using a few more shards, hid the large block behind a faux wall of brown rock. With that done I retrieved my soul shards from the Knights, causing them to turn to ash, and sighed in tiredness - it was two in the morning after all.

''We can start in the morning'' I smiled at her, since tomorrow was a Saturday ''Any priority ideas?''.

Ruby looked positively thrilled ''Ooh I know! We could rebuild our weapons with it!''.

I smiled ''Mm, good idea''.

''But for now, lets get back home to bed''.

* * *

 **A/N: So how'd you guys like that chapter? I intend to do quite a few things with Adamantite and include Eien's Semblance a lot more, since he had previously wanted to keep it hidden but now its out in the open. Do you guys like how I handled the situations with Ruby and Eien, I think it was alright if a bit rough on the edges.**

 **Did you guys like the fight scene between last chapter and this chapter? I think I handled it moderately, and while I may have made it out that Eien is OP I assure you that was one of those 'Anime-character-gets-pissed-and-goes-badass-mode' things, so it won't be happening 24/7. Neo's death will actually have some effect later on, either in the next chapter or the one after it. If you have any suggestions on story elements or personalities or ANYTHING, feel free to PM me (I'm on this site often, and enjoy a good chat).**

 **Thanks to all those who have PM'ed, favorited, followed and reviewed! It means a lot~**

 **POLL:**

 **Ruby - 15 Votes**

 **Weiss - 8 Votes**

 **Blake - 4 Votes**

 **Yang - 1 Vote**

 **Damn nobody likes Yang lol. Ruby is almost certainly going to be paired with Eien, but I may tease him with Weiss and Blake - not paired with, just a little tease. Eien's character is also clueless at times, regardless of his actual intelligence, especially when it comes to social interactions. I've written him so that he understands certain things, but doesn't others.**

 **As an extra to this chapter, here is a short Omake I thought off:**

* * *

 **Omake #1: Neo's Voice**

Emerald, Mercury, Neo and Roman sat on top of a collection of crates, waiting for Cinder to return from a deal. She did these often to gain allies and resources, when the aforementioned four couldn't be seen lest they be recognised. They had been sitting in silence until Mercury abruptly spoke, directing his question at Neo.

''Why don't you talk?''.

She blinked, a confused expression on her face before she shrugged, deciding not to answer it. However Mercury persisted, and eventually Neo gave in after Roman and Emerald joined in too. She shyly looked away and took a deep breath, before speaking.

'' _This_ is why I don't speak'' She huffed. Contrary to her feminine and petite appearance, her voice was deep and manly, the direct opposite of her appearance. Everyone recoiled in surprise from the deep voice, blinking owlishly at the now-embarrassed Neo.

''...oh'' Was all Mercury could reply with ''You sound like The Rock''.

''Shut up...''.


	6. Chapter 6: Power

**A/N: Just to point this out since it is mentioned in this chapter, and for future chapters; 1 Lien is equal to 1 US Dollar. Things that cost less than 1 Lien are .75 Lien (Gold Coin), .50 Lien (Silver Coin), .25 Lien (Bronze Coin).**

 **Also because I will start using alternative languages in certain techniques because of 'origins' I will leave it at the bottom of the page what they're called on each chapter, but I will not repeat them - for example on this chapter I will post several of them and I will possibly do the same for other chapters, but if they show up in a future chapter I won't provide the translation. This is because it saves time for me and I'm confident if you need to check the translation then you can just go through the chapters to find them.**

 _ **NEXT UPDATE: Wednesday (23/03/16)**_

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 6: Power**

* * *

After returning from the office and making sure my team was distracted, I left a note on my bed and snuck out of the room, returning to Ozpin's office in record time. The man knew _something_ about it, or at least 'Seele Ernten', and I wanted to know what. While I did not what to admit it in front of the others, lest it creates a divide between us, I _wanted_ that power. Not for the sake of having it or because I was a megalomaniac, but because it was only once my eyes turned purple of all things was I not only able to stay on par with Cinder, but also remaining capable of fighting four of her subordinates at once, taking _relatively minor_ wounds.

I walked into the elevator, getting to the top of the tower that was Ozpin's office in under a minute. Ozpin himself was in his usual spot, at his desk with his coffee in hand, a look on his face that told him he had expected him at that very moment, probably used the cameras around the school. Silently I walked over to his desk, taking the seat opposite him and noting the freshly poured cup of tea. He knew I was coming.

''So...'' I drawled after taking a long sip ''Seele Ernten...''.

Ozpin sighed, a brief flicker of weariness passing through his features before it was replaced by his usual expression ''That ability you displayed - when your eyes turned purple - is a hereditary one... something passed on from your mothers side of the family''.

I paused, the tea cup in my hand nearly slipping from my grasp as I slowly set it down ''You know my mother''.

It wasn't a question ''Yes''.

I fell silent, and he continued ''There are reasons why she was never able to see you during your life. I am afraid to say this was reinforced when your father was killed because of your mothers affiliation, meaning if she visited you even once it risked the chance of your demise''.

''I see'' I said calmly, accepting the reasoning and not commenting on my father ''So, what _is_ this hereditary ability?''.

''Dunkelheit'' He said, the name sounding foreign on his tone ''It means Darkness in an old, ancient language known as German, a language all but lost to history after our current language overtook it''.

''Dunkelheit was an ability born from a single man, one of the founding fathers who initially used Dust to fight back against the Grimm. The tale goes that 'something' happened and the Dust got into his system permanently, then when he had a child with his wife it carried the Dust-based gene inside of him. As the generations passed Dunkelheit became more prominent, allowing the young to utilize it to fight against Human, Faunus and Grimm alike'' He explained ''Your mother, when she attended my school nearly sixteen years ago, explained the extent of her powers to me''.

He reached under his desk and pulled out an old leather journal, the cover a faded blue ''She was pregnant with you a year after she finished her final year, and asked if you were ever to attend my school I give you this, so that you could understand your abilities because of the lack of knowledgeable parental figures''.

I flipped it open, reading the introduction page;

 _A Guide to Learning Dunkelheit, by Marisol Haizen_

I paused, looking up at Ozpin who looked content to watch ''I take it my surname is Haizen?''.

''Yes'' He answered and I nodded, closing the book to read it later ''I advise you keep it secret however''.

''Where is my mother as of right now?'' I asked and he shook his head slowly.

''I'm afraid she never told me, the only person who knew was your father - and I've told you how that turned out'' He said and I nodded in response ''The information in her journal holds information on every last piece of knowledge she knew about Dunkelheit, but apart from that all I knew was what a headmaster would know about his students''.

I nodded, taking this information in stride ''If I may ask, what was my mothers choice of weapon and Semblance?''.

''She possessed only one weapon like many others, a large scythe by the name of Waspier. She modified it so that the blade actually move at a rapid rate, effectively turning it into a chainsaw, thus granting it the name Waspier for the buzzing noise it made like Rapier Wasps'' Ozpin explained coolly ''Her Semblance, much like yours, was very unique amongst Semblances; Instinctive Reflexives''.

I raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue ''Instinctive Reflexives, as she called it, allowed her to sense incoming attacks and react accordingly. She was quite skilled, one of the best in her year and even one of the best in academy history because of it - that wasn't even counting her natural combat abilities''.

''I see'' I nodded ''Did she ever tell you _why_ she used a scythe?''.

Ozpin looked mildly amused ''Why do _you_ use a scythe?''.

''Because a Scythe is commonly referred to as a weapon wielded by the embodiment of death, and that the scythe in general means death when wielded by an opponent. I named mine Judgement, for the reason that it will judge your fate and actions, and come down swiftly upon its decision and enact my will'' I recited coolly, the reason why I named and wielded the scythe open for him to comment on ''When you enter a battlefield and are forced to kill, it makes the thought easier by naming it Judgement, implying their demise but not openly stating it''.

Ozpin nodded, taking a sip of his coffee ''Well said. Your mother was in the same mind, using a similar if not identical reasoning''.

Ozpin then glanced at his wristwatch ''I believe it is time we bring this discussion to a close, Eien Haizen''.

I nodded, getting up and taking the journal with me ''Thank you, Ozpin''.

As I left, I caught the murmur of ''No Problem, Eien''.

* * *

I entered my dorm room and was also immediately beset by Ruby, who clung to him like a lifeline while anime tears ran down her cheeks.

''Eien~! I'm out of cookies~!'' She whined while Weiss gave the reaper a dry 'really?' look while Yang was snickering and Blake was blushing, hiding behind her book. I sighed and pulled out a pen lid I kept for this very reason and let a piece of my soul float into it, transforming it into an admittedly oversized cookie - almost as big as her whole torso. Her eyes went so wide they nearly matched the size of the cookie as she enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug.

''Iloveyousomuchthankyouthankyouthankyou!'' She squealed.

I chuckled as she took off to her bed, taking the enormous cookie with her.

''Is that not a bit... excessive?'' Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.

''Maybe'' I shrugged and made my way to my bed, sitting down and opening the journal while Weiss and Ruby began arguing about something in the background.

 _-Chapter 1: Unlocking your Dunkelheit-_

 _Dunkelheit, as the name of Darkness implies, is born from the Darkness within the human heart. Fear, Rage, Hate, Despair, all of the extremely negative emotions can give birth to Dunkelheit as long as they are of the Haizen family. There is no artificial way of unlocking your Dunkelheit, the natural way being through suffering the aforementioned emotions in a life-threatening environment. It has been deemed impossible to intentionally unlock it, and it has been impossible (so far) for scientists to replicate its abilities._

 _Upon the awakening of ones Dunkelheit the wielder will gain a large amount of power, becoming several times stronger than they already were. However the unavoidable drawback is that the user will lose control of their body for a time because of Aura overload, leaving the body to follow the users last thought before eventually passing out for a weeks time._

''Guess that explains why _I_ was out for a week'' I murmured to myself.

 _If you wish to activate your Dunkelheit after that, you will have to control your emotions. The Haizen family is notorious for having been cursed with mental disabilities, and it is almost guaranteed that you will have some form as well. Find the source of what caused the emotion that birthed your Dunkelheit, and then hone it, control it, master it, turn it into the coldest of steels and learn to wield it with the utmost control. Those who wield Dunkelheit are powerful, on par with the best huntsmen in the world - though most Dunkelheit wielders are already Huntsmen in the first place._

 _A word of warning; triggering the emotion that originally caused your Dunkelheit will unconsciously activate your Dunkelheit, regardless if you want it to or not. The only way to prevent this is to, as I have said, control your emotions to the point where you can willingly activate it._

''Can't be that difficult'' I hummed quietly to myself, turning the page again and displaying the large CH-2.

* * *

I finished writing the note, placing it on Blake's bedside before turning to Ruby, who was waiting patiently, both of us dressed in our combat uniforms with a duffel bag over my shoulder. I nodded to her and gestured to the window and she nodded, running and jumping out. I took a more languid pace, jumping out of the window and dropping to the grass below just as I saw Blake begin to stir. I hit the grass with a muted thud, my Aura shielding me from any potential damage from jumping from so high.

I looked at Ruby, who was bouncing on the edge of her heels in excitement. The reason behind why I was only taking Ruby was because she was arguably the best smith of the team, plus she had been present when we found the Adamantite, so it was only fair to do so.

''You ready?'' I asked.

''Yes, lets go'' Ruby smiled as we began walking towards our little cave.

* * *

''Now... how to get down - without leaving an obvious trail'' I hummed, looking a Ruby for ideas, but she looked just as thoughtful as I.

''Rope?''.

''Eh, sure'' I shrugged, grabbing a stick and transforming it into a rope with practiced ease, having a little over three quarters of my Semblance left. I tied it around a spiked rock and after giving it a few hard tugs I began to descend, keeping Judgement easy to access encase I fall. I slid down and jumped the remaining distance down onto the rocks, awaiting Ruby as she also descended in an identical fashion to me, also prepared to draw Crescent Rose encase she fell. With a dull thud she jumped the rest of the way ( _half_ the rope) and used her Aura to shield her from the damage.

I led her into the cave, the roughly pyramid-shaped room dark until I ignited the Light Crystals, tugging on the soul shards inside them but not removing them. It wasn't as bright as regular lights, but they were still close enough considering I didn't have to go through the process of wiring and stuff. With a small mental tug I disintegrated the wall that hid the Adamantite, revealing the cube of crimson metal.

''So~'' Ruby sang ''What do we do first?''.

''Well I'll have to recreate the Adamantite so we don't have to go back and try and find more, if there is any more'' I said, humming in thought ''Then we can starting using it to build stuff''.

She sighed ''Ugh! Boring~''.

I chuckled ''Yep''.

* * *

''Do you think we overdid it?'' I asked curiously.

''Hm... nah, I think its fair amount'' Ruby responded, looking at the cubes of legendary metal, a total of thirty of them, five of them together weighing a little more than a Bullhead. Despite that Adamantite was known for its legendary toughness yet lightweight manoeuvrability and decent flexibility when it came to weapons. While it was not known, Ozpin's own weapon was made from Adamantite but painted to disguise this. I had learnt this from the library.

''Lets Begin'' I said slowly as I placed my hand on one of the cubes, feeling it accept my soul shard as I willed it to change, Judgement in my hand. Both of the glowed faintly before a flash blinded both of us, but I dimly felt Judgement change in my hands. The light faded and about a quarter of the Adamantite block was gone, and Judgement had also changed. The dark grey of the blade was now a bright crimson and the shaft of the blade has vine-like crimson designs on it but it mostly remained black.

I nodded approvingly and pushed the trigger in, transforming it into sniper form flawlessly. The barrel of the sniper also had vine-like designs on it, as did the main body of the gun while the stock, scope and magazine remained black. I nodded again, aiming at the far wall and firing off a regular .338 round, penetrating the wall with a little bit more kick than normal.

''How is it?'' Ruby asked eagerly, staring at Judgement like it was a cookie.

''More lightweight'' I said as I inspected the weapon ''The lighter weight means that we could increase our speed from using the recoil, though firing rounds while not moving means there is increased recoil. I'm also willing to bet that its cutting power is increased''.

Ruby smiled and, with only a slight amount of hesitance, handed me Crescent Rose. I smiled at her and nodded, closing my eyes and placing my hand back on the Adamantite. I sent a pulse of Aura through both, analysing the layout of both of them even though I had already seen the blueprints for Crescent Rose to ensure it would work. In a flash of blinding light Crescent Rose changed, not visibly by much but the metal did, the already red metal becoming a bright crimson and the grey metal becoming red.

I presented it to Ruby and she gently took it, a surprised look coming over her face ''Its light''.

I chuckled, amused ''Well that is one of the main benefits of Adamantite, isn't it?''.

She giggled, an embarrassed flush coming to her face ''Hehe... yeah''.

She was Crescent Rose around, slashing into the ground by accident and cleanly carving through it, making her grin in excitement. I chuckled at her reaction as she got a feel for her weapon, pleased with how it still worked identical to the original, the only real difference being the colour and metal. I looked at the cube, which was one-third remaining, and the other twenty-nine remaining blocks. Since I didn't know the entire composition of the Adamantite I intend to sent a pulse of Aura through the cubes as to gradually memorise it until I could copy it from memory. However...

''I think...'' I drawled ''...we made too many blocks''.

* * *

My scroll beeped and I pulled it out, looking at it as the message tab popped up. Ruby and I were on an airship towards Vale at my suggestion, both of us intent on buying some Dust as it was one of the few things I could not recreate no matter how hard I tried. That, and we could stop at the weapons store on the way back for ideas, and for Ruby to entertain herself.

It was from Yang; _Where are you guys!? I cant find you two ANYWHERE!_

Me: _In Vale, be back at some point today_

I closed my scroll down and pocketed it again as the airship lurched to a stop, the woman on the intercom alerting us to our stop. Ruby led me out as we walked, with me holding our list of things to buy.

''Here'' I nudged Ruby, handing her a total of 200 Lien ''Lets go to Lyrics' store first, if you want''.

''Mm!'' She beamed, skipping beside me as we went. We found the store quickly, since it was only a dozen or so streets away. It was much like other buildings, cubical and made from granite. The windows were relatively small, but upon entering it made it moot as the walls were lined with weapons of various kinds, the shelves in the middle of the rooms having smaller weapons or parts on displays, along with books and magazines. Despite being a relatively new shop it was well designed, with a light wooded floor and dark oak walls, sunlight streaming in from a large overhead window. It was quite beautiful for a new store.

Meanwhile, Ruby was in visible ecstasy as she all but dashed around the room, checking all the weapons out with unrivalled glee as she did so. I chuckled in amusement and caught the shopkeepers eye, a fairly well-built man with a goatee and aged face. He smiled mirthfully at Ruby's actions before attending to other things, apparently either having this happen often or so amused by it he let it slide.

Five minutes later Ruby had calmed down enough to not move about the store like a mouse running for its life, inspecting weapon parts with a critical eye as she held a semi-serious, semi-gleeful expression. I followed behind her as she showed me all the interesting weapon parts and weapons that caught her eye, and I wouldn't deny that many of them were indeed unique, most giving me plenty of inspiration to work with. In the end Ruby bought a half a dozen different weapon parts that she would either throw together to make a weapon she wouldn't use or just save them for later.

We exited the store, the bell making a chime as we did so, and walked towards the nearest Dust Store, which would be 'Dust and Rain'. It was nigh identical to 'Dust till Dawn' only that the layout was different and the person behind the counter was a middle aged woman. She smiled politely and silently let us browse, to which I did as I looked at our list; 30 Uncut Fire Dust Crystals, 30 Uncut Wind Crystals. The store had surprisingly cheap prices, totalling only to 150 Lien - which while a bit expensive to regular citizens, to me it wasn't too expensive. Not counting in the fact I could create infinite money, that is.

With a promise to return at a later date I walked out of the store, Ruby behind me as she held onto the bags of weapon parts while I carried the Dust. We almost missed the airship back, getting on just in time before it left. We manoeuvred around the crowd and discreetly avoided being spotted by Yang and Blake, so that our hideout would remain secret. As we reached the forest we allowed ourselves to relax, walking towards where we left the rope.

''So, what are we gonna do with the Dust?'' Ruby asked innocently, breaking me from my musings.

''You'll see'' I smiled teasingly, brushing a stray strange of hair out of my eyes.

''Please~'' She whined, pouting cutely in a way that made me chuckle.

''A type of sword'' I eluded slyly.

''And?'' She persisted.

I sighed but smiled ''A collection of swords, controlled through Telekinesis''.

She blinked ''You could do that?''.

I shrugged ''Never hurts to try''.

''Certain things do''.

''Never took you for a pervert'' I teased. She gave me a confused look before her face lit up like a lantern, steam nearly bursting out of her ears. I chuckled as we made our way to the rope, sliding down it with ease even though we carried our bags. When we entered the cave I approached small slab of rock that naturally appeared here before I 'renovated' the place. I put my bag down and took out the two cases of Dust, holding thirty in each. I left Ruby to her own devices as I approached a full block of Adamantite, letting my soul shard flow into it.

I had it thought out in my head; it took the form of a turtle shell, only that the flat side would attach to my back via magnetics and straps. Inside the turtle shell it would produce the swords to a nigh unlimited degree, feeding on a shard each to produce it, and upon returning to my pack the shard would return to me unless the sword was destroyed, but considering it was made from Adamantite it would be difficult to do so.

The swords would be crimson, of course that was a given though. The swords would be just under four feet long, with three downward spikes on each side of the blade, giving it the appearance of teeth, the first one at the top of the blade, the second near the middle and the last at the end of the blade and acting partly as a guard. The trick of it would be having a Fire Dust Crystal inside the handle, and at my command the pommel would open up and the Fire Dust would eject as a last-resort move. The wind crystals would also be in the 'fuller' of the blade, which at my command would spin and hopefully create a whirlwind of some kind.

So I resorted to figure out a way to do so, focusing intently.

* * *

''Ugh...'' Ruby groaned as she and Eien entered the room, arms around the others neck as they lugged themselves into the evening-lit room, immediately catching our attention.

''Where were you guys?!'' Yang exclaimed as she stomped over to them, relenting a bit when she saw their tired states ''And what the hell did you two do? Fight a Nevermore with your bare hands?''.

''In... the forge'' Eien said tiredly as Ruby helped him to his bed, but both ended up falling on his bed sluggishly, a few scant seconds later they were asleep in the others arms. Yang looked at me and grinned mischievously before pulling out her scroll, taking a photo of the sleeping pair as teasing material.

''I think we should go to dinner without them'' I suggested and Yang sighed, nodding while Weiss agreed wholeheartedly, having waiting for their return for half an hour. We filed out of the room, casting one last glance at the pair, before leaving the room for dinner.

* * *

Eien opened his eyes and blinked at his surroundings. He felt reinvigorated, meaning that it more than likely he had been sleeping for several hours. However his surroundings were not that of the unisex bedroom that I shared with the four other girls, rather he was in a place oddly familiar, in a strange mix of uncertainty and confusion.

The world was white. Literally, everything was white as if I was inside a piece of paper, nothing existing anywhere. However if you were to turn around you would see the direct opposite, black. It was not _dark_ but it _was_ dark as well, but it was mainly just _black_. If one were to stand sideways they would see both white and black, meeting beneath their feet and blurring together into a grey area that stretched a few metres wide. He had been here before, on those admittedly rare occasions when he met death in the face, bleeding out or having his lung punctured, only to walk into the white and become miraculously healed.

Logically, that meant the darkness would lead to death, if one was using a Yin-Yang or Life-Death concept. And to my perception that is what it was; White was life, Black was death and the grey in between was a form of purgatory. Three times he had been here, the first two times he didn't hesitate to go into the light, the third he had gotten curious and was tempted to step into the darkness, but his instincts _screamed_ at him not to, so he obeyed and went into the light.

 **''Interesting to see you here again, Eien Haizen''.**

I jumped at the sound of the voice, gravely and aged but most importantly _not supposed to be here_. I spun on my heel to be greeted by a man - I presumed so at least - wearing a tattered black robes that concealed his whole form including his face, his hands were concealed behind black leather gloves. In his hand was a large, classic 'Reaper' scythe, standing tall and having a decayed look. The man peered at me from under his hood, but no eyes were seen.

''And who might you be?'' I asked coolly from behind my own hood and bandana.

He chuckled, a hollow, echoing tone **''Does the appearance not give it away, child?''.**

Throwing a guess into the wind, I asked ''Death? Grim Reaper?''.

 **''The former, the latter is a fairy tale you humans birthed for your beliefs''** 'Death' said, grumbling a little.

''I see'' I conceded with a nod ''So, why would Death himself be here?''.

 **''Ah, now isn't that the million Lien question?''** He chuckled again, walking up to me and stopping a scant few feet from me **''Tell me why you think I am here, child''.**

I raised an eyebrow at the continued demoralising title, but answered swiftly ''I am clearly not unwell, tired yes, but not sick with any affliction that I am aware of. Perhaps you were paying a visit to someone who has been _here_ more than a couple times?''.

 **''An astute observation''** He nodded **''If only the rest of your kind could be as open-minded''.**

''Mm, it certainly would solve many problems'' I agreed ''So, what is the point of your visit, I sincerely doubt you'd come to pay me a visit for such an... unimportant reason as idle conversing''.

He nodded **''Indeed, I come with a purpose... and to assist you in your future endeavours to an extent''.**

I raised an eyebrow ''Is it worthwhile to use such time on me? Would it not be better to spend it on someone more worthy?''.

He barked out a laugh **''Humble, you are. As you have no doubt known from the recent information you have acquired, you are indeed special amongst your fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses; not only are you a skilled warrior with a power Semblance, but you also are a member of the Haizen family, and with time you could become one of Remnants greatest warriors no doubt, alongside your companion Ruby Rose''.**

I blinked then ''I understand Ruby is a prodigy, but does she possess the potential to become one of the best? I am by no means undermining her, but the best of the best is a pretty high podium if you ask me''.

He nodded **''The Rose family is quite similar to the Haizen family, in that Grimm naturally fear them. They are warriors at heart, and Grimm fear that, Deathstalkers and Nevermore have been known to flee before the might of these titans, and you and Miss Rose may very well become those titans''.**

''Interesting, I will have to look that up''.

 **''The key is the eyes, child, remember that''** Death said wisely, pointing inside his own hood to the unseen eyes **''But onto the other reason why am here, about your heritage''.**

I perked up and he continued **''Dunkelheit goes beyond mere manipulation of the soul, it also possesses a degree of manifestation. Have you ever ventured through the door, child?''.**

''What door?'' I asked and he pointed behind me and I followed his finger, surprised to see a black door with gold accents present a few feet behind me ''Huh. Never saw it before''.

 **''Because you did not actively seek it out, child''** He chuckled, _slowly_ grating my nerves with the title he has given me. He walked up to the door and swung it open, revealing greyness that he did not hesitate to walk into, and I followed without requiring an order. Once the grey left my vision I was left in a grassy hills area, bumpy hills of green for miles with the occasional tree or patch of flowers. I looked to my right to see Death standing there, also admiring the scenery.

''What is this place?'' I asked the obvious question.

 **''It has many names, most of which were created by you humans. However I like to call this your _soul_ , as this is the manifestation of your Soul and Aura, creating a world within yourself''** He explained and I blinked **''This is, for all intents and purposes, your own world. You command what can happen here, and if you so wish you can bring people from here into the physical world''.**

I frowned, a multitude of thoughts rushing me ''Does that mean that there are others here?''.

 **''Ah yes, quite a few if you think about it''** He said, grin audible **''After all, once they died to you their souls came here''.**

It clicked, rather audibly, in my head ''Ohhhh...''.

 **''Yes, 'oh' is quite appropriate in this situation''** He chuckled hollowly **''They are, by default, in a comatose state most of the time. It is simple enough to awaken them so they can, for a time, be within your world. Some of them can even wake up on their own, such as Miss Neopolitan''.**

He pointed to our left, and sure enough Neo was walking towards them, hesitant but determined. She was at the bottom of a hill and making her way to us, but would take a minute or two.

''Does this mean I can bring people back to life?'' I asked.

He gave me a hard look **''While I will not interfere if you do so, I would advise not messing with the lives of others if you can help it, Eien Haizen, playing god is harder than it seems''.**

''I'll keep that in mind'' I nodded, accepting the burden such a power would undoubtedly hold ''Is there anything I should know? About everything?''.

He nodded, giving off a sombre aura **''You have a heavy burden, child, but you _must_ uphold it, for the fate of Remnant relies on you. Gain strength and gain allies, for you cannot do this alone. Even then the time you have to learn is extremely limited, to learn to master your Dunkelheit, Huntsman skills, weaponry that you are so insistent on making - and rightfully so, might I add. To top it all off, you need to learn to utilize my own powers''.**

I blinked in surprise ''Use _your_ power?''.

 **''Yes, like I have said the fate of Remnant rests upon your shoulders, and I will not send you in with mortal powers. It will be difficult, undoubtedly so, but there is no one else who possesses the potential that you do''** He spoke sombrely **''So I give you the powers of death, and it will take much training to be able to use them, let alone access them''.**

I sighed, rubbing my eyes behind my hood ''I can see what you mean, its going to be a pain to get all this training done with school going on. Not to mention the White Fang is lurking about, and with Cinder it'll be an even bigger problem''.

 **''Indeed''** He nodded and peered at Neo, who was now getting closer **''We will meet in the future, likely often, but for now I believe you have a woman to deal with''.**

''What should I do?'' I asked.

 **''She cannot leave here until you have a decent amount of understanding of manifestation, so she will have to become acclimated to living here, until you become skilled enough to manifest her in the physical world for a short period of time''** He stated and I hissed as my hand suddenly burned, a black skull tattoo forming on the back of my right hand **''I will be avalible when you need guidance, but do not rely on me, for I will not _always_ be here to assist you''.**

''Of course'' I nodded and he returned the gesture before he disintegrated to ash, blowing into the wind without another word. I turned back to the hill just as Neo came to the top, panting lightly and staring/glaring at me. We stared at each other in a tense silence for what I guessed was nearly ten minutes before I spoke.

''I know you can speak'' I stated to her calmly. She glared again, before speaking herself.

''Where. The Hell. Am I?'' She ground out, her voice _really_ high-pitched.

''Inside my soul, apparently'' I responded dryly, making her blink owlishly at me ''I'm afraid I'm serious, this place is where you'll be stuck for... well a while''.

She glared, something between a pout and a snarl on her face ''Let me out of here''.

''I cant'' I answered simply, catching her attacking fist with surprising ease ''Tell me one thing though, why did you work for Cinder?''.

She seemed taken aback by my sudden and uncalled for questioned, which is what I hoped for. She blinked in confusion before finally answering ''I didn't, I worked for Roman. I followed orders, I got paid''.

I frowned ''So it was for the money?''.

She shrugged, moving from one foot to the other ''Yeah''.

'' _How_ _much_ did he pay you?'' I queried innocently, letting her fist go.

She eyed me with curious suspicion ''400 Lien per Dust Shop and 1000 Lien per Dust Shipment, why?''.

''To put it simply, my 'Seele Ernten' - the technique that killed you - absorbed your 'soul' into mine. However unlike when I have used my alternative soul-absorption technique when I was younger, Seele Ernten took your consciousness too'' I explained patiently, a plan already forming ''Your soul and consciousness are more-or-less permanently within mine, and I'm guessing if you were to die here you would just come back again''.

''However I may be able to temporarily manifest you back in the real world for a short period of time, but to do this it will take time and training'' I finished.

She eyed me flatly ''And how does that relate to anything?''.

''Because once I am capable of manifesting you in the real world, I can pay you to do 'things''' I informed ''I can assure you I will pay double of what Torchwick pays for your services, if you agree''.

She shrugged, a sly smile on her face ''Sure... what do you want done?''

''Information'' I smiled at her ''White Fang, Cinder Fall, anything useful and I'll pay you to do so''.

She hummed, cupping my cheek ''And how do you know I won't sell you out?''.

''Because otherwise you'll be stuck in here forever'' I said, ignoring the sensual touching ''So how about it?''.

She laughed lightly ''I get information, you pay me, I do whatever I want for a while and then I come back here? Deal''.

I allowed a smirk to grow behind my bandana ''Alright, I'll get to work on manifesting you as quickly as possible''.

''But for now, I want to know everything you know about Cinder Fall and her allies''.

''Payment?''.

''7000 Lien once I manifest you''.

She grinned ''Make it 10 and we've got a deal''.

I rolled my eyes ''Ten K it is''.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, the ceiling on my dorm room greeting my awakening. The morning sun was pouring through the window and the digital clock I had said 6:00AM, so it was still early. I looked down at the weight on my chest and smiled at the sight of Ruby, snuggled up against my chest and snoring softly. Carefully I snuck out from under her, replacing my spot with a pillow so she didn't notice the difference, and heading to the bathroom while picking up another combat uniform - identical to my current one, just as a back-up when my first was in need of repairs or a wash.

One quick shower and a change of clothes later, I left the bathroom and headed to the training hall, once again leaving a note for my team telling them where I was - though I did stop in for an early breakfast. The training hall was, as to be expected, completely empty at this time of the day. I moved over to the corner of the room and sat down, falling into a meditating position with my mothers journal in front of me. Control my emotions...

An image of Cinder flashed through my mind and I tensed, gripping my kneecaps as I fought down the _hate_ that came with even _looking_ at her face. While I rarely had felt it, I was never good at controlling my anger, since I didn't even realise it was anger until the third time I felt it. I rarely got angry, and therefore lacked the experience to suppress it most of the time. So to suppress this _hate..._ would be harder than originally assumed.

So began the long and tedious task of _trying_ to reign in my emotions, my hate, but it was like pushing against a body of water. Ever time I would picture Cinder, suppress the hatred her very presence invoked, but the only thing that really got me to stop was when the pain from my kneecaps struck me, bruising under my death grip. From my wristwatch it showed only an hour had passed, and I had made pretty much _ZERO_ progress. It annoyed me, but at the same time I guess it was to be expected if the power that mastering Dunkelheit was to be believed.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. Everything rested on me becoming strong enough apparently, and that was daunting. I was only capable of matching Cinder when I initially activated my Dunkelheit, which was on par with what my Dunkelheit would be if I had an advanced control over it. The way Death worded it, it sounded like someone was above Cinder, and that the Queen was not the actual queen. If this was true, then it was possible I would need more strength that even Dunkelheit could provide, probably from Death's power and my own skillset I've had and continue to develop.

 _'But how do I manifest Neo then?'_ I pondered solemnly _'Death said it had something to do with my Dunkelheit, but how can I manifest her if I can't even activate my Dunkelheit...'._

So caught up in my thoughts I didn't realise someone had entered the training hall and approached me until they politely tapped my shoulder, making me blink before looking up at a Rabbit Faunus with long brown hair and eyes.

''Are you okay?'' She asked, voice naturally soft.

I blinked in confusion ''Hm? Yes, I'm... fine. Why do you ask?''.

''You just seemed um... a little sad'' She said hesitantly, shyly.

''Just stressed out, its nothing'' I smiled at the shy Faunus ''I'm Eien, you?''.

''Velvet Scarlatina'' She smiled shyly, before apparently wanting to get back on topic ''Do you um... want to talk about it...?''.

I smiled and waved a hand dismissively ''No its fine, I don't want to be a burden''.

''No, its fine'' She insisted and I sighed, deciding it would probably wouldn't hurt. I had heard that helps.

* * *

''O-Oh... I see'' Velvet said as I finished telling my tale, albeit by replacing some things with others, making it seem like a family thing ''That's... harsh''.

''Mm'' I nodded sombrely, only ten minutes having passed ''And that's why I have to _somehow_ figure out how to use _all_ of my abilities, its the only way... but I don't know how''.

''Well you said that you have to control your emotions right?'' She asked and I nodded, curious ''Well, why not focus on something that makes you happy while thinking of Cinder?''.

I give her a confused look ''How will that help?''.

''Well if you think of something nice, and think of something you dislike, then maybe it would make you feel neutral about it?'' She offered hesitantly. I blinked in mild surprise at the suggestion before smiling at the Faunus teen in front of me.

''Thanks, I'll try that'' I smiled at her. She gained a light blush on her cheeks and smiling back hesitantly, giving her goodbye as she made her way over to another section of the training hall, sparring against another person who had entered, apparently a friend from how casually they talked.

Something that made me happy...?

His team made him happy, their mere presence often brought him to smile, regardless of his thoughts behind said smile. Sometimes he would do it because he knew staring blank-faced at someone wasn't the most appropriate expression, other times because he found something funny or even because you just _had_ to smile, whether it was amusing or heart-warming.

Now mixing that with the pure hatred he held for Cinder, for gravely wounding Ruby and her general evilness, was... odd. It was like drinking something that was hot but was gone quickly, like the lick of a flame burning your skin before leaving: powerful, but quick. The two feelings mixed oddly, like opposing colours... like... purple and blue. I paused. My eyes were blue, light blue but still blue, and my eyes changed to purple when Dunkelheit was activated. From the video I acted more... brutal, feral, vicious... the direct opposite of my normal fighting style.

 _Dunkelheit, as the name 'Darkness' suggests, is born from the darkness of the human heart_

Was that literal? Did it quite literally mean that it was the opposite of what the person would consider the norm? I would admit that I wasn't entirely comfortable about my brutal display, but I could understand the need for it, as it was required. Brutality was needed, otherwise it wouldn't exist in the first place, but that didn't mean brutality would be a primary, it would be a secondary, for when it was required.

Abruptly everything around me shifted, becoming sharper, narrower, _cleaner_. I could smell Velvet and the other person from across the hall, I could dimly hear their conversation, everything was _so clear_. I blinked slowly, accustoming myself to the abrupt changes as my mind whirled as it tried to figure out what the hell just happened. He grabbed a bullet from inside his trench coat and transformed it into a mirror, the process becoming so practiced it was like breathing. To my surprise my sclera were the royal purple from before.

Then, just like that, the colour drained from them as if someone pulled the plug, the colour falling down but not leaving the sclera section of my eye, replaced by my natural cool blue. I blinked several times at the mirror, locked in a daze of _what the fuck just happened._ Eventually, after several minutes of a miniature existential crisis, I reigned in my unusually clustered emotions and thoughts and focused them again, bringing the two conflicting emotions back and pushing them to merge, but not forcing them lest he do some unforeseen damage.

Once again his senses heightened, and he briefly wondered if this was what it was like to be a Faunus. Deciding to experiment, he forcibly removed the two feelings from his mind, suppressing all forms of emotions as he retained his blank face. He grabbed the mirror off the floor just in time to see his eyes, sure enough the purple eyes faded like before, draining like water.

I clicked my tongue, so I had to keep it in mind? It shouldn't be too hard, especially since he was an expert at multitasking - if he did say so himself. I brought the two emotions back together again, which was harder considering I cleared my mind, and I watched as the royal purple ran like water down my sclera, painting it purple and hiding my cool blue. I got up and approached a metallic training dummy, cocking my fist back before punching it with the intention of testing my enhanced strength. I was not disappointed to see that, with Dunkelheit active, I was capable of smashing its face in, caving it in.

I nodded, my strength was certainly increased. Just then my ears picked up on the door opening, and I blink in mild confusion at the appearance of Weiss, dressed in her combat gear and looking equally surprised to see me here. She must've missed my note.

''Morning'' I smiled, an expression becoming more-or-less permanent for me.

''Good Morning, Eien'' She greeted in her usual polite, if not friendly manner. She inspected the dummy, then my hand, then raised an eyebrow ''You punched it?''.

''Yep'' I drawled in amusement, idly realising she couldn't see my eyes behind my hood. Noting this, I pulled my hood back and allowed her to see the difference in colour, her breath hitched momentarily, but she relaxed slightly a moment later, but remained tense.

''Dunkelheit'' I drawled ''That's apparently what _this_ is. Its a family heritage thing, started centuries if not a millennia ago by a founding father of who first utilized Dust. Apparently this form of Dunkelheit compared to the one I used against Cinder is vastly weaker, as the initial usage of Dunkelheit is far stronger than the follow-up uses''.

Weiss sucked this information up like a sponge ''I see... so 'Dunkelheit' increases your strength and speed?''.

I smirked behind the bandana, handing her my mothers journal with care. Weiss seemed to notice how gently I held the old book and took it with equal care, nimble fingers turning the pages as she scanned through them. At first she looked a mix of interested and confused, then surprised, then immensely awed. I waited patiently until she handed it back to me, awed and interested.

''That's... incredible'' She said quietly and I chuckled, nodding.

''Mm... and I have to learn it as quickly as possible'' I sighed, thoughts abruptly taking a bit of a sombre turn before Weiss's reply drew me back.

''Why? We've got _four years_ here at Beacon, you've got plenty of time...'' She trailed off, eyes widened a fraction as she came to a conclusion ''Oh... its about Cinder... isn't it?''.

I nodding, scowling faintly ''Mm. I was barely able to match her without it, and she wasn't going all out. Only after my Dunkelheit was unlocked did I manage to overpower her, and even then I didn't get a chance to finish her''.

Weiss frowned, shifting from one foot to the other ''Why are you so intent on... _killing_ her?''.

''She hurt Ruby, nearly killed her'' I answered smoothly ''Anybody who intentionally hurts you guys becomes my enemy, and any who try to kill you and the rest of our friends will fall to Judgement''.

Her cheeks gained the lightest of blushes on her cheeks as she stumbled over her words ''Isn't t-that a little overkill?''.

''Ain't no kill like overkill'' I shrugged, an amused smile on my face ''By the way, I wanted your opinion on something''.

She blinked ''Hm?''.

I turned the pages in my mothers journal, far beyond the parts where she read and showed her a series of pages. Unlike most of the other abilities and techniques in the books, these ones seemed similar to Weiss in that they were Sigil's, similar to Weiss's Glyphs but slightly different in that they looked more complex judging from appearance. I showed the page to her and she perked up, interested as we both looked at them.

''You think you can help me with this, since you use something similar?'' I asked.

She smiled ''Of course''.

* * *

''Make the lines thinner''.

''...okay''.

''Widen your stance slightly''.

''...uh-huh''.

''...And that _should_ be it'' Weiss finished with a nod, observing the yellow-ish in front of me, floating a foot away from my outstretched palms. The Sigil was composed of a circle with a multi-layered symbol inside of it, the symbol combination apparently leading to different effects. Outside of this circle was a ring, and between the ring and the circle itself were dozens of ancient characters. It had taken a good hour for _both_ of them to understand the characters, as they were in an ancient language known as Japanese, which meant he was now dealing with two ancient languages. Perfect...

Regardless he wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near as he was now without her help, and it only took three hours! It showed that the heiress, even when tackling an _ancient language_ , was adept at teaching and assisting in a similar manner, which he was greatly appreciative of.

''Insho: Raitoningu'' I said evenly. The Sigil floating in front of me, lazily spinning, glowed before a large bolt of yellow lightning shot out. It tore through the trees of the emerald forest, charring them and it went for almost a hundred metres before it gave out. I cut off the energy supply, stopping the drain on my Aura, and the Sigil collapsed into ash.

''Damn...'' I whistled lowly, looking at the destruction. He was down to around three quarters of his full Aura, and considering it seemed to be growing recently (Which he guessed was because of his new-found powers, but one could never be sure) it was a fair bit.

''From what it says here, there are an immensely large amount of combinations with these Sigils'' Weiss said, her lips contorting into a small pout that rivalled Ruby's.

''Jealous?'' I chuckled and she pouted more, and I couldn't stop the grin coming to my face. Looks like Ruby isn't the only one who could be cute when she wanted to.

''I am not'' She huffed. I smiled and pulled the heiress into a hug, pleased by our progress and feeling a little teasing wouldn't go misplaced.

She immediately turned as red as Ruby's cloak ''W-What are you doing you dunce?!''.

''Giving you a hug'' I chuckled and after a moment she relaxed slightly, an annoyed look on her face.

''Dunce'' She mumbled again under her breath, blush very much prominent and a shy smile on her face.

''But a loveable dunce'' I joked with a chuckle and she laughed, nodding absentmindedly. I noted the fact that she didn't break out of the embrace immediately, if anything she lent into it and closed her eyes, relaxing. As such I just let it stay like that, relaxing in the others presence. She was cold, not enough to warrant concern about her health but more of a natural thing, like how Ice Dust are naturally cold, while I was slightly warmer but chilly, like an Autumn wind. We must've stayed like that for at least a few minutes before I let her go, and she subtly seemed reluctant, but didn't make a show of it.

''You wanna continue?'' I offered with a smile.

''Mm, lets''.

* * *

''Eien, what are you doing?''.

''Meditating''.

''That is not how one meditates''.

''I find it interesting''.

''You find everything interesting''.

''Well this is extra interesting''.

''You say that about everything as well''.

''No I don't''.

''Yes, yes you do''.

''Traitor''.

That was the conversation that predated his current situation. The rest of his team had come back after heading to Vale with JNPR, to find me on the ceiling in a simple cross-legged position. I had found out in my mothers journal that one of the best ways of training both my Aura and Dunkelheit in tandem was to use my Dunkelheit to force myself to remain on the ceiling by channelling my Aura into my legs, then to remain there for as long as possible.

Just passed the four hour mark.

''Get down you dunce'' Weiss scoffed, but amusement shined in her eyes. You spend a day with Weiss, and you find her more friendly than appearance suggests.

''But I just passed the four hour mark'' I mock-whined, earning a giggle from Ruby.

'' _Why_ are you up there?'' Blake asked quietly.

''Because it's apparently the best way for me to train''.

''Apparently?''.

I shrugged ''The book said so, and the book hasn't lied so far''.

''What book?'' Yang said curiously and I pointed over to the book, straining my arm against gravity.

''Ozpin gave it to me, it was my mothers journal'' I say and the sisters immediately sobered up ''It has all the knowledge I need when it comes to learning Dunkelheit, and possibly other little things''.

''You keep saying that, Dunkelheit'' Blake said, momentarily struggling with the foreign word.

''Remember how my eyes turned purple during my fight against Cinder and her allies?'' I asked, getting nods from them ''That was Dunkelheit. The first time it is unlocked its incredibly powerful, but only the first time. To attain that level of strength once more I must train, and what I will be doing for most of my time now''.

''Okay?'' Yang said uncertainly, having scanned through the book. She looked impressed, but also a 'I cant be bothered to read' look. Blake filled her spot on my bed, taking the journal and reading through it with gentle ease. Several minutes of silence later, I spoke.

''You guys ever heard of Adamantite?'' I asked, and WBY snapped their heads to me, probably getting whiplash ''I'll take that as a yes?''.

They nodded and I smiled at them, mischievous ''Any of you want your weapons re-forged with Adamantite?''.

They all blinked owlishly, then looked at Ruby, who grinned awkwardly and hefted Crescent Rose up, and they finally noticed that it was more red than normal. They came to the conclusion quickly, and nodding viciously.

* * *

''And~ here we are'' Ruby grinned, spreading her arms out dramatically as she showed Blake, Weiss and Yang the underground cave. They looked around the room, eyes widening at the sight of 29 large blocks of legendary metal, before turning their gazes on me.

''How?'' They asked in unison, not accusing but merely curious.

''When me and Ruby woke up in the tunnels she pointed out a large cluster of red rock, and it turned out to be Adamantite. A week later we went back there, without your permission, and brought it back in the dead of night here'' I replied simply ''We kept it a secret because, well, its obvious this sort of thing _should not_ and _will not_ be public''.

''Why? This could help so many people-'' Blake started to say, before Weiss cut in.

''Its clear as to why, because if someone like Cardin got their hands on it then it'd be hell. That's not even mentioning it could inspire jealousy amongst fellow students, as I doubt Eien could continuously provide Adamantite to each new year of students, especially if students were to sell the Adamantite to criminal scum like with the White Fang or their associates''.

I saw Blake tense up behind the Heiress, but one pointed look from me made her resist the urge to snap back at the heiress. I didn't want a divide in my team, I would speak to them later, both of them.

''So...'' Yang drawled ''How are you going to re-forge our weapons?''.

''Easy, I hold your weapon in one hand while I hold the other to the Adamantite, then transform the weapon into Adamantite. The key differences are that its generally lighter weight and allows for better momentum when you fire shells, but also makes the recoil stronger - it also shown that its incredibly durable and sharp''.

''If your willing'' Yang shrugged, chucking Ember Celica at me and I caught the duel gauntlets with ease. Due to the fact it was two separate items, I let my elbow touch the rock as I willed the gauntlets to transform, contorting the metal into the legendary Adamantite. In a flash of blinding white it happened, allowing my eyes to adjust to the change of light that not even eyelids could protect from, the yellow metal having turned a bright crimson, the only other colour being the black lines already present.

I handed the dual pair back to Yang, who took them and gained a slightly surprised look on her face as she judged the weight, juggling them about. Seeing that Yang was satisfied for the time being I turned to Blake, since she was closest and Weiss was too busy being entranced by the crimson metal. I gave her a smile and she hesitantly gave over Gambol Shroud, and I took it delicately as I once again pressed my elbow against the cold metal, since I was holding both the sheathe and the weapon itself. The flash of light burned through my eyelids, but when I reopened them I was not disappointed with the now-crimson Gambol Shroud.

I handed it back to Blake, quietly stating with a smile ''You should probably repaint them, if you want them to be other than crimson''.

She nodded, and took up some empty space as she got adjusted to the new loss of weight. I approached Weiss and smiled at the heiress, who gave slightly shy smile back. At my gentle gesture she handed over Myrtenaster to me. I took it in one hand while I held my palm against the half empty block of Adamantite, once again being engulfed in a flash before Myrtenaster was transformed into a crimson version of itself, the entirety of the blade becoming crimson. I handed the blade back to Weiss and she graced me with a smile, nodding appreciatively.

I looked back at the Adamantite, noting there was still twenty-seven.

I hummed quietly to myself... what could I use them for? While I didn't want to waste the Adamantite, I didn't want to have a stockpile of it either; people could come and steal it. He could effectively recreate it from something as small as a pebble, but because of the sheer density and nature of the Adamantite it would cost a good chunk of his Semblance and Aura to create _just one_ block. It was easier when I already had a block at hand, because it was more of copy-and-paste than create-from-nothing.

Perhaps I should try and make my telekinesis swords again. With my additional powers granted by Dunkelheit, I _might_ be able to do it. And by might, I mean I won't stop until my team drags me away.

Several hours later, that was exactly what happened.

* * *

 **A/N: So how'd you like the chapter? A little bit o' innocent fluff with Weiss for all those people who voted for Weiss. Ruby is currently in the lead and Blake is coming up third while Yang has like nobody voting for her.**

 **Current Pairing Poll:**

 **Ruby - 17**

 **Weiss - 9**

 **Blake - 4**

 **Yang - 1**

 **-OOO-**

 **Eien's Dunkelheit Powers Translation:**

 **Seele Ernten = Soul Reap (German)**

 **Seele Ernten, Auseinander = Soul Reap, Asunder (German)**

 **Dunkelheit = Darkness (German)**

 **Insho: Raitoningu = Sigil: Lightning (Japanese)**

 **(Note: Sigil-based attacks will be in Japanese, while most other Dunkelheit abilities will be in German).**


	7. Chapter 7: Training, Beach, Explanation

**A/N: Fluff, literally. Most of this is just a filler chapter of sorts between now and the start of the Vytal Festival in S1 EP15-16. This chapter is mainly just character development and a few surprises. I think I made a few parts a bit iffy, just a bit off.**

 **I also have Eien displaying a very powerful ability in this chapter, something that I will try and not make OP but it'll be hard, but I assure you I am not adding this for no reason, as it has a future purpose :) Some other canon things will change in this chapter, subtle and seemingly unimportant but different all the same.**

 **ALSO I've changed Eien's Dunkelheit to make his Iris purple, not his Sclera - got the two mixed up.**

 ** _NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ON SUNDAY (27/03/16)_**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 7: Training, The Beach and Explanations**

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Eien transformed his teams weapons into their Adamantite form, and things had progressed nicely. Eien had improved his skill with Dunkelheit to the point where he could almost use it without effort and nearly instantaneously, he had finished the telekinesis sword-pack-thing that he still refused to show his team 'until the right time' since he was still in the process of learning to control it. She and the rest of their team had repainted their weapons and gotten adjusted to the weight difference, finding that their weapons could cut through steel with ease, much to their pleasure. Team JNPR had also gotten their weapons re-forged - Jaune having to ask his grandfather for permission, and got it. Eien also forged a secondary gun for Jaune, since the blonde-haired teen didn't have a ranged weapon on him.

However all these positives were countered harshly on their leader, from the exhaustion of training and using his Semblance dozens of time a day. It was barely noticeable at first, with him grimacing but passing it off as a headache. But it became apparent when dark rings came under his eyes and he was _only starting_ to slack in combat classes, to which he matched Pyrrha in. Thankfully since most knew of his strength and opted not to fight him, their team and JNPR could spar with him so when he lost it looked like it was because they were equally as strong, and not because he was growing weaker with his lack of sleep.

They approached him about it, obviously, but he just smiled and waved off their concerns, saying that he could handle it. It became apparent quickly that whatever it was, he couldn't handle it if he couldn't be trusted to go to bed without getting up at five in the morning to train until breakfast. And so that led to their current situation to prevent him from leaving; by tying him down to his bed.

''Guys, let me go'' He sighed, struggling weakly against the bonds.

''No'' I said immediately, Yang having left for something, leaving me, Blake and Ruby ''You _will_ rest, whether you want to or not''.

''But-''.

''No buts!'' Ruby cut in, pouting furiously with all her might. If anything Eien seemed to cave into the pout, both my own and Ruby's... actually, probably anyone who pouted really. He was soft like that.

''We will not allow you to continue to destroy yourself! So if you cant lie down and go to sleep, then we will make you!'' I scolded and he himself pouted, looking between funny and cute. Eventually after ten seconds of a pout-off he gave in, sighing as he nodded as much as his head would allow.

''I'll make sure he doesn't escape'' Blake smiled in amusement as she sat on her bed, which was next to his. and pulled out a book to read. I nodded in response, heading to my own bed to finish up for the night while Ruby joined me.

Forty seconds later, they all smiled fondly as soft breathing indicated Eien's sleep.

* * *

''Was it really necessary to tie me up?'' I asked idly as I drew another Sigil with my finger, my Aura flowing through it with Weiss off to the side. They were in their usual training spot in the forest, so privacy wasn't a real issue.

''With you, yes'' She said dryly. I sighed in response but smiled, I _had_ been pushing myself a bit too hard I guess, but in the end it had been worth the strain, as my skill with Dunkelheit had increased quite significantly. I finished the Sigil and recited the words, sending the same bolt of lightning from before, albeit more perfected.

Deciding to bring up the subject, I asked ''Hey Weiss?''.

''Mm?'' She hummed, looking up from my mothers journal.

''How... do you fell about Faunus?''.

She stiffened immediately, but answered hesitantly ''Well... I try to judge a person on who they are, and most Faunus that I've met are thieving, murdering monsters''.

I nodded, showing I understood ''And what of the White Fang?''.

Weiss scowled ''They're an army of murderers, rapists, thieves and everything a Faunus is and worse!''.

''Easy, Weiss'' I cooed softly, standing in front of her ''What's... _inspired_ this hatred, for the Faunus?''.

She hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other as her eyes scanned around the area ''My family has been war at them for years... war, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfathers company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I could remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car full of Dust... stolen. And every day my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood''.

''The reason I _despise_ the White Fang is because they're nothing more than a bunch of liars, thieves and murderers!'' She yelled the last part, frustration on her face. I smiled softly at her and hugged her much like last time, making her stiffen in surprise initially before she hesitantly relaxed.

''Its... a shame, what you've had to go through. It must've been lonely, huh?'' I asked and she nodded, resting her head on my shoulder, giving in ''I was much the same, growing up in the hospital, with anybody I got too friendly with ended up dying, before I managed to control my Semblance''.

''You've been able to use your Semblance since you were a kid?'' She murmured evenly.

''Since I was born, but it was passive; I didn't realise it was my Semblance until I was around six, and I didn't understand how to fully use it until I was around twelve'' I smiled wistfully at her, although she couldn't see it ''Its a weird thing isn't it, loneliness? You still interact and speak to people, but they never truly know you, and it becomes suffocating without anyone to turn to''.

''I felt the same'' She said softly.

''Loneliness is a terrible thing, something nobody should feel'' I agreed quietly, enacting the second part of my plan ''In a way, it puts the White Fang and the general Faunus population in perspective''.

''What do you mean?'' She asked, not breaking from the embrace for a moment.

''Several years ago, before the White Fang became violent, they had peaceful protests, but were ignored. Faunus all over Remnant joined in the protests, demanding equal rights. The Faunus are bullied from when they are in preschool - before they even understand _why_ , the Faunus are picked on for something they had no control over. The bullies didn't even know why they were doing it, only that their parents didn't like Faunus, so why should they?'' I said sombrely ''Humans are vicious creatures, the only difference between us is how vicious we are verbally and physically. Grimm may kill us, but we aren't much better, are we?''.

She said nothing, so I continued ''Not all Faunus, including former and current White Fang members, are as evil as the media interprets them to be. They are all misguided, told that they can make a difference and entranced by the offer, determined to make a better future even if they aren't. The ones who wish to destroy all humans are driven by a primal drive; to remove anything that threatens its life and the lives of its companions. In all, its not the White Fang that are the problem, only the higher-ups within their military''.

''Its gotten to the point where Faunus in general hide their appearance just to avoid being attacked, while others seclude themselves in the farthest reaches of Remnant just to have a chance at peace. No matter where Faunus go, as long as they are around the human population they are picked on, whether it be a dirty look, a sneer, verbal insults or even physical abuse, nowhere is safe for them'' I went on and she listened silently, her arms having found their way around my back while remaining in the embrace ''They live in fear, forever and ever, however small or large it is''.

''So tell me Weiss, if there was a _former_ White Fang member on our team, what would you do?''.

She stiffened _slightly_ , no doubt thinking about it heavily before she responded with ''...as long as they don't have any intention to harm me or the rest of my team, then I don't care''.

I smiled at her ''Would you like to know _who_ is the Faunus on our team?''.

She blinked in surprise, before smiling wryly and nodding.

''Blake'' I said and she gained a look of surprise ''Cat ears''.

''But how? She wears... a bow...'' She drifted off, understanding dawning on her face ''Ohhhh''.

''Mm. When I confronted her about it she was terrified, absolutely terrified is the only word for it'' I explained and Weiss's face softened ''She's afraid of our reactions to her past. She grew up in the White Fang, never knew any parents or relatives and, well, _grew up_ amongst the other Faunus protestors really''.

''I'll talk to her about it'' Weiss smiled kindly and I returned the gesture.

''Should we continue?'' I asked, gesturing to the area where my lightning had struck. A faint blush came to her cheeks and she nodded, and I let her out of our extended embrace. I sent a mildly teasing grin her way, and her blush increased as she looked away, muttering vehemently about dunces - cute ones. Huh.

I just smirked and went about memorising the seemingly endless amount of Sigil combinations.

* * *

''I'll go get Blake'' I smiled to Weiss, who nodded and went out onto the balcony where I had originally calmed her down - and unknowingly started our friendship. It was a few hallways to get to our dorm room and the halls were quiet as students were probably busy at post-lunch hour. I opened the door to our dorm and peered in; Ruby and Yang were missing, leaving only Blake doing what looked like homework or revision at her desk.

''I'm going to need to borrow you Blake'' I smiled, a slight amount of teasing coming into my smile. I understood why Yang did this so much, it was fun~

''I'm busy'' She mumbled, reading the book with a flush on her cheeks. I took note of the fact there was in fact a book, within a book - and judging from the black hardback with red corners it was one of her smut novels. I grinned.

''Too bad'' I grinned and before she could blink hefted her up from her chair, holding her by the waist and putting her on my shoulder - despite the size difference. As predicted she immediately flailed in both cat-like nature and human reflex, but my grip was unwavering yet gentle.

''Let me down!'' She barked, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks.

''Nope'' I answered as I went back into the hall, making Blake turn a darker shade of crimson ''We're going to visit Weiss''.

''I CAN WALK!'' She all but screamed, to which I responded with a light-hearted chuckle.

''Yeah, but its more fun this way'' I smirked up at her and she looked down at me with an embarrassed flush.

''I will kill you, slowly and painfully'' She threatened lowly and I chuckled again.

''Lighten up, you need fresh air'' I half-lied ''Besides reading smut all day probably isn't good for you''.

Her blush turned extremely dark, steam nearly pouring out of her ears ''W-WHAT?!''.

''They aren't too hard to find'' I commented cheerfully ''Besides they don't seem too bad, second one is probably the best one''.

She paused, her embarrassment temporarily forgotten ''You _read_ them?''.

''Yup, when I finished homework and you guys were busy I went and read through them. Not too bad a story, but the smut gets overbearing after a while'' I commented before smiling slyly up at her ''But for a pervert like you, its probably _just right_ ''.

Her face heated up again ''I'm not a pervert!''.

''Watch the volume Blake, people might here'' I chuckled and her face flushed again ''Besides there's nothing wrong with a bit of smut every once and a while''.

She looked at me inquisitively, but tore her gaze from me as we entered the balcony. Weiss turned to us, blinked several times at our position, before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. I let the fiercely blushing Blake down to the ground, standing off to the side as the two girls faced each other, one stoic the other confused.

''So why did you guys call me out here?'' Blake asked, using the word 'call' sarcastically.

''The White Fang'' Weiss said and immediately Blake stiffened, her muscled tensing in preparation to flee. I gave her a gentle look which succeeded in _slightly_ calming her down, judging from how she took a deep breath and hesitantly faced Weiss. Weiss's face softened, much to Blake's confusion and quietly began talking with the Faunus girl. I couldn't hear, and felt that they deserved enough privacy so I moved to the edge of the large balcony, only hearing their unintelligible murmurs. Two minutes later a purring sound drew my attention, and I turned to see an interesting and cute sight.

Much like what happened when I did it, Blake had knelt slightly so Weiss could stroke her ears better. Blake was purring like a cat unashamedly as a blushing Weiss tenderly stroked her ears. In unison both females caught sight of me watching with an amused smile and both flushed a deep crimson in embarrassment, parting from their activity. I chuckled and both glared, but it was ignored in favour of smiling knowingly at the duo.

And that was how I ended up getting tied up with Gambol Shroud and left on the balcony till nightfall - I could've dissolved it of course, but I didn't want to damage Blake's weapon, regardless if I could easily reconstruct it.

* * *

''What'' Weiss, Blake and myself said in unison upon entering their dorm the next day after coming back from the library, looking at an eager Yang, Ruby and Nora.

''Lets go to the beach!'' Yang repeated, beaming happily and totally unfazed by our flat 'what'. No question mark required.

I turned to Ren, and he sighed ''Nora's idea''.

''Hey!'' Yang huffed, annoyed her idea had been revealed to be, well, not hers.

''Why?'' Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

''We'll we've worked hard so far, haven't we?'' She said, crossing her arms ''We deserve to relax a little!''.

''Yeah!'' Nora and Ruby agreed, the latter probably because she just wanted out of doing research via Weiss.

''Its eight in the morning on a Saturday, so we've got time'' Ren concluded with a shrug ''I don't mind''.

''It could be fun'' Pyrrha added with a smile, looking at me, Jaune, Weiss and Blake.

''We'd need swim wear'' I commented with a raised eyebrow, which raised further when Yang grinned ''And no, I'm not making us clothing - its more difficult than you'd think''.

Yang pouted, but Yang had nothing on Ruby's or Weiss's pout, so it was nothing really.

''We could go shopping for some!'' Nora cheered, myself and Ren sighed.

''Fine'' I shrugged eventually, not too bothered with it - it was only one day of training I was missing.

Blake shifted uneasily ''I don't know...''.

''You don't have to go in the water, if you don't want to'' Ruby smiled, mistaking her nervousness to the water. Not entirely untrue, cats did dislike water.

Blake sighed ''Fine, I'm in''.

All eyes turned to Weiss and Jaune, the heiress just huffed ''Very well''.

''Y-Yeah!'' Jaune grinned, hesitance beneath his mask of faux confidence.

''Then lets go shopping~!'' Yang grinned, and I sighed when she turned to me.

''You planned this, didn't you?''.

''Yep''.

I sighed.

* * *

''You'd think it wouldn't take them _this_ long to find a swimsuit'' I commented dryly as myself and Ren waited outside the store, bags in hand. I had went in and purchased a pair of black shorts and Ren got a pair of dark green ones, and we were done. Literally; in, picked a colour, pay for them, out. It had taken all of sixty seconds, and the girls were in there for ten minutes.

Also, Jaune was in there still.

''Well to be fair, women's swimsuits do vary quite drastically compared to swimming trunks'' Ren replied smoothly and I gave a noncommittal shrug. The door opened beside us and the bell jingled as someone left, and finally Jaune came out with his own black bag in hand, looking tired.

''What took you so long?'' I asked with a raised brow.

''I walked in on Weiss getting changed'' He groaned, rubbing his head ''She hits _really_ hard''.

''Anyone who is embarrassed does'' I shrugged, it was logical. I think.

''How much longer will they be in there?'' Ren asked and Jaune shook his head, showing he didn't know. The three of them stood outside the shop, idly holding their bags - Myself and Ren had gotten the other little things such as sunscreen, towels and a few foldable beach umbrellas. The beach we were going to had food nearby, so we only packed water - ice cream was also sold at the stands thankfully, Nora would've gone insane from lack of sugar.

Two minutes later the girls filed out with smiles on their faces - though Weiss was scowling, with good reason I presume. They headed down the road to where the beach was, and when we got there it wasn't overly crowded. It was a nice sunny day, not overly hot though, the temperature just right despite the late autumn/early winter weather. We found ourselves a more unattended to part of the beach and set our blankets down and pinned the umbrellas up, heading over to the changing rooms.

''No peeking boys~'' Yang teased us, but mainly directing it at Jaune. Said teen flushed a dark red, Ren remained impassive and I raised an eyebrow in amusement.

''I should be saying that to you, Yang'' I said, an amused smile coming to my face. She laughed in reaction, heading to the girls section to get changed. I dumped my clothes into my bag and slid on my black trunks, leaving in tandem with Ren as we - once again - had to wait for the others. Jaune came out next, clad in dark blue trunks with a Nevermore on the side. We collectively waited once again for the girls, only this time it was more understandable why it took so long - we only had to slip our trunks on, while they had to tie the bikini pieces or slip into a body-sized one, depending on type.

Pyrrha came out first, wearing a dark red two-piece bikini with a white swim skirt around her waist, hanging off at once side. Nora came out second, wearing - as one may expect - a pink two-piece bikini with a white trim on it. Blake came out wearing a black two-piece bikini with frilly ends, Weiss came out in a white-come-teal two-piece bikini, shuffling awkwardly. Like the rest of the girls apparently Yang came out in a two-piece bikini that was surprisingly plain white, not yellow like her usual colour scheme. She also put her hair up into a ponytail, which was huge but much more manageable than her free hair, probably for swimming and a pair of sunglasses on her head. Ruby came out last, wearing a black frilly two-piece bikini with a red trim.

Jaune stared at Weiss in particular, until said girl glared at him menacingly, to which he hid behind me and Ren. I sighed, and Ren sighed.

''So whatcha boys think?'' Yang grinned teasingly.

''You guys look nice'' I smiled amicably, and several of them blushed (*Cough* Weiss, Blake and Ruby *Cough*) but I pretended not to notice. Ren silently nodded his assent, peeling Nora off him as he did so.

We headed back to our blankets, Blake and Weiss immediately lying down onto their blankets, hiding under the shade of the umbrella as Blake pulled out a book and Weiss her sunscreen, coating herself twice over. Ruby was immediately dragged to the sea by Yang and Nora, while Ren lay down on his own blanket and I joined him on my own, sitting up slightly as I read my book. I got through twenty pages before I felt a tugging on my arm, courtesy of Ruby trying to pull me while Yang tried to get Blake to the water, who was insistently trying to stop her.

I raised an eyebrow at Ruby ''You could just ask if you wanted me to join you in the water''.

She flushed a deep red ''Eheh... sorry''.

''Its fine'' I smiled as Blake was eventually convinced and let Yang drag her towards the ocean, bow in place on her head as Weiss reluctantly trailed behind her, a few feet ahead of us. The sand was slightly hot on my bare feet but I easily ignored it in favour of starting a conversation with Ruby.

''Hey Ruby'' I said, drawing her attention immediately ''Remember the spare Adamantite we have left over?''.

''The other twenty five blocks?'' She asked and I nodded ''What about them?''.

''I was thinking of making some military stuff, a custom Bullhead maybe'' I shrugged ''When we get back you wanna help?''.

''Sure!'' She beamed happily I returned the gesture, walking into the warm water with her. We went in until it was waist height when suddenly my instincts told me to duck, and I did so. A beach ball flew over my head and hit a surprised Ruby in the face, making her topple back into the water. I blinked and looked over at a smirking Yang, and put two and two together easily. Ruby jolted out of the water, glaring fiercely at the smirking Yang before slinging the ball with all her might at the elder sister, who easily dodged it but coincidentally struck Weiss.

Thus began a chain reaction of volley-ball throws, with me being the only one to avoid them by either ducking or simply falling into the water to evade the ball. Two minutes later we were suddenly in a free-for-all version of dodgeball, with me being the main target apparently.

''Hold still!'' Weiss yelled in irritation as I once again ducked under the large beach ball.

''Nope'' I smirked, ducking under it when Nora tried hitting me with it. The one plus side with the water is that none of them could jump to strike me down with the ball, only fire horizontally.

''This is so not fair-'' Ruby began to say when she actually managed to hit me, sending me into the water. I instinctively put my hands out in front of me, pushing myself out of the warm water just in time to see Ruby grin in a prideful manner. Immediately I hit her with the beach ball in turn, making her pout as she was once again 'it'. Swiftly I hid behind Ren, smirking as he was the one to take the hit for me once more.

''Never gonna catch me!'' I laughed as I dodged their attempts, hiding behind each person and avoiding being grabbed. Once again it went on for so long before Yang eventually got me with it, and this time I directed the ball at Nora and missed, but Ruby caught the ball and threw it at Jaune, who did get hit. We continued to play sea-volleyball late into the day, till the sun turned orange and made the ocean have a dull orange hue to it. We retreated back to the shore, surprised at how fast time had flown but having fun all the same.

In a collection of fluid motions we gathered our things, got changed and began to trek back to our beloved academy.

* * *

''That was awesome!~'' Nora cheered as we walked back through the streets towards the airship, her short sentence gaining nods from all of us.

''It was enjoyable'' I smiled.

''We should do it again'' Ren agreed as we passed a group of kids, grinning and laughing. We turned a corner and were surprised when we nearly banged into someone. It was a guy around our age with a hoodie and cargo pants on, a look in his eyes that held excitement, borderline mad glee. I easily side-stepped him and he continued running, but a flash of light made me narrow my eyes. Time literally seemed to slow down as I caught sight of the object, making my eyebrows furrow.

A knife.

A _bloody_ knife.

I looked to my teammates, and a few looked confused by my frown while others were either wide-eyed or stunned. Blake's nose twitched as she narrowed her eyes and looked at me, and I made a 'show us the way' gesture. She nodded and quickly walked, with me just behind her as the others followed uncertainly. She led us to the alley but immediately after entering it she let out an uncommon gasp, her posture immediately becoming tense as she stared wide-eyed. I came up to her side and grimaced at the sight, several gasps of surprise coming from my friends signalling they also saw the grizzly sight before us.

A woman in her _**early teens** _ lay against the wall, her white dressed stained crimson as her messy black hair also had crimson dabbed in it. Her throat was slit open, blood running down her front and down her front as her sea blue eyes were dull. The front of her dress was cut open at the stomach, revealing her swollen... I cant even bare to look or even say it. The bruising on her thighs showed signs of struggling, and the knife wounds on her stomach might've been during the... _process_. I felt my lips turn into a dark scowl of silent fury, that kid- _monster_ was the one responsible for this, the knife wounds were fresh as was the blood on the monsters knife - as was his slightly loose pants.

''Yang. Pyrrha'' I growled.

''Right'' Both said in unison, anger clear in their voice as they bolted out of the alleyway, sprinting after the madman without so much as an order. Ren approached the undoubtedly deceased woman, his hands glowing with Aura as he put one to her heart and the other to her head. He stayed like that for thirty seconds before he sighed solemnly, shaking his head as he looked back at us. Ruby was pale and looked like she either wanted to be sick or cry, Blake was frozen on the spot - probably because the woman was _a_ _Faunus_ judging from the fox ears, Jaune was frozen as well, Nora was stunned and Weiss looked ready to be sick herself.

A memory ran through my mind;

 _''Does this mean I can bring people back to life?'' I asked._

 _He gave me a hard look **''While I will not interfere if you do so, I would advise not messing with the lives of others if you can help it, Eien Haizen, playing god is harder than it seems''.**_

I could bring her back, probably at least, and it doesn't hurt to try - since she's already dead, its not like a whole lot more can happen to her. I moved past Ren and knelt down next to her, letting a piece of my soul - several - flow into her deceased corpse. Her own soul - which _felt_ shattered like I hit it with a hammer, shards flowing around it like the moon in the night sky - rejected them at first, as was to be expected of a dead person. I forced them to though, my body giving off a glow as I forced the shards to enter what remained of her soul, her body taking on a small shine too.

''Eien?'' Blake asked hesitantly, confused ''What are you...?''.

I ignored them, focusing on moulding the shards of my soul to repair hers. As they did I felt the words come to my mind, and dutifully recited the rite as if I knew it all my life.

''Aufstieg und Fall, vom Himmel zur Holle und Wasser zu Schnee. Das Leben schwindet aus den Augen, wahrend der Tod Ihrer Aufnahme in den ewigen Schatten der Nacht lockt. Ich befehle Ihre Ruckkehr ins Leben, wie es ist mein Wille und wird nicht durch eine andere Kraft ungehorsam werden. Kommen Sie wieder zum Leben: Licht Weben'' I recited, my Dunkelheit activating by itself as I did so. A bright green and yellow Sigil appeared on the ground beneath me and the unnamed woman, but I ignored it and instead focused.

When I recited the final two words, Licht Weben, there was a burning white flash, far more intense than any of my previous encounters. It burned through the layers of skin, allowing you to see the bones and veins in your forearms via the intense light, as if you put it under an X-Ray. It cleared in a few seconds and I quickly blinked away the spots in my vision, and I waited with baited breath. The Sigil beneath us shrunk in on itself until it faded from existence, in a matter of seconds, leaving my recovering team. I smiled faintly in relief as the woman's chest rose and fell slowly, oxygen filling her lungs once more.

''W-W-Wha...?'' Ruby was, very clearly, had lost any trace of words to say.

I grinned tiredly standing up and nearly falling over, Ren steadying me before I could do so. I nod my thanks and didn't even attempt to hide the pride I felt surface, after all how many times have I _resurrected_ somebody?

None, none at all.

* * *

Death looked about the rolling green hills dotted with trees and flowers and scowled. In the distance, near what one would consider the edge of ones soul, disintegrated into black ash, but did not disappear with the wind. Instead it became like sand, settling in its place as it covered an area of _several dozen_ sport pitches, turning anything it touched into ash.

 **''You foolish child''** He muttered vehemently **''I warned you not to play god, Eien Haizen... the cost is too harsh''.**

He lifted a hand to his own chest, feeling no soul within his bony body, hidden beneath the robe. Crimson eyes shined with an endless ocean of despair, buried beneath the weight of continuing his mission.

 **''Don't waste your life, like I have seen so many others do''.**

* * *

''Did you...'' Blake murmured, wide-eyed.

''...bring her back to life?'' Weiss finished, equally as wide-eyed.

I nodded, grin still in place ''Yeah... damn... took a... lot of... Aura though...''.

Ren looked at the woman, _seemingly_ unfazed by the current situation ''I suggest we move her to the hospital, just to be safe''.

I nodded ''Yeah... I agree... phew...''.

Getting over their shock, Ren picked up the teen gently in his arms. I put a hand against the wall to steady myself but Blake and Ruby came to my aid, helping me standing as we collectively moved towards the hospital - funnily enough, only two streets away. We were halfway down the street when Pyrrha and Yang returned, the kid unconscious and limp in Pyrrha's arms, blood soaking his hoodie as both women scowled in a way that would make lesser men flee.

''Police should be here any minute...'' Pyrrha trailed off, looking at me in concern ''Are you alright Eien?''.

I just grinned, jerking my head at the unconscious woman (Ren had slipped his trunks on to cover her 'parts' up). Yang and Pyrrha looked confused, but when they realised her chest was rising and falling in tandem with her lungs their eyes shot wide open, looking at me for an answer.

''He brought her back to life'' Weiss explained crisply, awe still in her tone.

''WHAT?!'' Yang exclaimed in shock and I chuckled, nodding ''HOW?!''.

''I'll... explain later'' I said uncertainly, idly realising my demeanour just did a 180 ''Lets get her checked at the hospital first, and that bastard in a cop car''.

Just as I said that a police car rolled up beside us, eyeing us distrustfully. After a brief explanation, the coppers understood our situation and got him in the car while Ren went ahead to take the teen to the hospital. Before the car could roll away I put a hand on the side of the car, partly to support myself and partly to get it to stop. I handed the driver my scroll number, to which he took it and raised an eyebrow.

''I'll be around the station tomorrow to... _pay him a visit_ , please send me his name when you get the file'' I asked politely and the man shrugged, nodding before I let go of the car and let him drive off.

* * *

''Well today has been... interesting'' Blake broke the silence in our dorm room, JNPR also present.

Yang snorted ''That's an understatement''.

''Unique?'' I offered.

''Definitely'' Ruby nodded with a hesitant smile, likely still traumatized from earlier, judging from how she was leaning into her sister. I sat on my bed with my back to the wall, Weiss sitting on the edge of the bed while Blake, Yang, Pyrrha and Ruby sat on Blake's bed, the others sitting on the floor.

I sighed ''I'm guessing you want to know how I brought her back, Hm?''.

A chorus of nods. I sighed again, looking up at the ceiling ''Where to start...?''.

I had come up with a speech on the way here, but the tension in the room was thick and even I was effected by it. I sighed away my troubles, looking all my friends in the eyes before speaking.

''Have any of you heard of 'The Miracle Child'?'' I asked and several of them blinking in confusion, Weiss and Blake understanding but not saying anything.

''I do'' Pyrrha offered ''A baby that was born deprived of its senses, and was said to be able to heal anyone who merely touched it, but were said to have their lifespans drastically reduced''.

I nodded ''And do you, by chance, what happened to him?''.

Pyrrha shook her head ''I'm afraid not''.

''I'm that child'' I say coolly, and everybody - sans Weiss and Blake - widened their eyes ''I grew up in the hospital, and the reason behind the reduced lifespans was because of my Semblance, though I didn't know it was that at the time''.

''You had your Semblance since you were a baby?!'' Pyrrha asked, wide-eyed.

''Yep'' I drawled in mild amusement ''At the time I had no control over it, so any human or Faunus that touched me would die. However there was, and is, far more to that story than you know of''.

They stayed silent, so I continued ''When they die, their memories come to me. I've rarely slept in my entire life, instead falling into a semi-unconscious state were I am surrounded by darkness. Memories of all who died flickered through my head, and still do. I learnt from their experiences, and I believe that is why I was so adept for my age - because I had the memories of dozens of people in my head, and all their life experiences''.

''That's how you knew how to fly the Bullhead!'' Blake realised, eyes - like everyone else - wide.

I nodded ''Yes. Memories of Hunters and Huntresses, Pilots, Engineers, builders, miners, everything. All their knowledge, all their experiences and all the names of the people they knew, are inside my head''.

''However recently things have changed. Allow me to explain; my Semblance is Matter Manipulation, as you know, but I identify it as my 'soul' in a sense. When I use my Semblance, I break off a tiny shard of my soul and put it into the object or person I intend it to interact with. It requires physical contact and concentration, but I can pretty much turn it into anything. If I were to roughly pull the shard out of someone else's 'soul', then it would cause their death - or in the form of an object, disintegrate''.

Their eyes shined with realisation, obviously remembering the times where objects around me have disintegrated.

''The reason why I say I can't overuse my Semblance is because its metaphorically or literally tied to my soul - its effectively the same as using my blood, I can use a lot of it but the more I use the more strain I'll feel'' I explained ''As I was saying prior to this; things have changed. More players have entered the field, and whether they are inheritably good or bad is unknown to me... now how to explain this...''.

''Essentially there is a place between life and death, call it purgatory if you want. It consists of a 'wall' of black on one side, and a wall of white on another, while a thick line of grey divides them. That is all that exists there. I have been there several times on the several occasions when I was fatally wounded and brought to the brink of death. I always walked into the light, and I was brought back to life reinvigorated with adrenaline, just enough to eliminate the threat and get to a safe location before I passed out''.

''However I had recently visited that place despite not being in a bad shape, the day I came back with Ruby and we both passed out'' I say and Ruby gained a light blush ''Unlike before, I had a visitor; Death''.

Everyone stiffened, presuming the worst but I numbed them with a hand gesture ''I meant that literally, as in the physical embodiment of Death. Guy in a black cloak with a scythe, standard description. We talked for a bit and he showed me a door, which led to my soul''.

''Again, literal. It consisted of grassy hills and a few forests, apparently based upon my personality'' I paused and got several agreements on that apparently ''Anyway, it turns out that all of the people who have... died... to my Semblance, their souls are _absorbed_ into mine. They are somewhere within the world in a comatose state, and can be awakened for a short amount of time if I used some of my Aura, but it could only last for a short amount of time. However... 'unique' individuals can actually wake up on their own, one of them being in my head right now''.

''Who?'' Ruby asked with innocent curiosity.

''Neopolitan'' I said and they, for the millionth time, widened their eyes as they remembered the girl who suffered my Seele Ernten ''Yeah. She wasn't too happy, but I've worked out a deal with her that'll be beneficial for the future''.

''Which is?'' Blake persisted.

''Information. She's a former criminal, and worked for Roman not because of allegiance but because of the money. So, I manifest her with my abilities, give her money and let her do whatever she does... probably shopping... and she'll come back with information on criminal activities, White Fang and Cinder's group''.

''And how do you know she won't tell Roman?''.

I shrugged ''I can hear anything she hears, plus she often doesn't talk and has only done so recently because I don't know sign language, as she prefers not to talk''.

''Anyway, after gaining access to Dunkelheit I began training to use the Sigils, Manifestation Abilities, and all other aspects of Dunkelheit in general'' I said and Yang coughed, muttering something about overdoing it ''One of these abilities, I have discovered, is close to what the powers of Life and Death hold. I can repair and put someone's soul back together and thus bring them back to life, or I could utterly destroy the soul from existence''.

''...wow...'' Pyrrha murmured and I nodded idly ''So you can bring back the dead...?''.

''Only the recently dead, I guess - and I can only do it a few times before my Aura runs dry, if I'm lucky'' I shrugged nonchalantly ''However Death himself warned me not to overdo it, as 'playing god is harder than you think', to quote him''.

''Huh'' Yang blinked.

''So, does this change anything between us? Between all of us?'' I asked.

''Not really, no'' Yang smiled and looked out the window ''... but more importantly, you guys also know its like ten at night, right?''.

They all blinked, before Pyrrha got up with a smile ''Well it would be best if we went to rest then, good night all''.

''Night'' Yang waved as the JNPR sluggishly made it out of the room, legs numb from sitting. Yang immediately claimed the bathroom, much to Weiss's obvious chagrin. Ruby crawled up to my bed, puppy dog eyes present and pouty lip out as she made an eating motion.

I sighed, taking a pen from my desk and transforming it into a small cookie ''Here''.

''Yay!'' Ruby smiled widely ''Thank you~''.

I chuckle. Nothing has changed, nothing at all.

* * *

With a heavy, metallic groan the cell door swung open. Darius Idaho sat in the middle of the room, bound to a chair as I had requested. It was troublesome to convince the head of the station to sanction this, but after 'persuading' him with 'making an impression' on fellow criminals, he allowed it as long as the results were positive. He looked up at me, dull green eyes glaring as his messy hair fell around him.

''Whadda ya want?'' He grumbled, accent clear despite his age.

''To punish you, for what you did to that woman'' I said coldly, glaring at the teen and taking delight when he flinched.

''Hehe... I-I don't swing that way man'' He said, stumbling over his words at my glare, which increased when I grinned at him.

''Oh I won't, but my friend here will'' I stepped aside, allowing Neo to walk into the room, parasol in hand as she sashayed up to the bound teen, grinning in mad glee. The teen began to sweat and yelped when Neo kicked his shin, grinning even wider as I spoke ''Neo here is a bit of a sadist, and I've gained permission from the head of the department to allow her to... play with you''.

''W-What?!''.

''I'll have you know, as well, that the woman who you raped and murdered is actually alive now'' I said and his already wide eyes widened ''I brought her back to life with my power, and I can assure you I will do the same to you to prolong your suffering, it is only deserving of a monster such as yourself''.

'W-Wait! I didn't mean to-'' He tried to say, only for Neo to slap him, his shock making his sentence die off.

''You deserve nothing more, nothing less'' I stated, heading for the door slowly ''Neo; _try_ not to kill him, but if it happens call me so I can bring him back''.

The quiet girl grinned madly and nodded, licking her lips as she looked at the terrified Darius.

''I'll be on my way'' I commented, closing the door behind me with a thunk, muffling the screams of the teen who committed the terrible act.

* * *

''Mae Sui?'' I asked as I entered the hospital room, my hood and bandana already pulled down.

''Yes, who are you?'' Mae asked, cautious with good reason.

''Eien - just Eien'' I introduced with a smile ''I was the one who... healed you, I came to check to see if you're doing okay?''.

She perked up, a smile growing immediately ''Oh! I was hoping you'd stop by, I wanted to say thanks for saving me''.

''Its no problem'' I dismissed with a smile ''How are you feeling?''.

''Alright, I guess'' She sighed, rolling her shoulders ''Still a bit sore, and feel a bit bad _down there_ , but all together I'm fine''.

I nodded, smiling sympathetically ''Did the guy just jump you or...?''.

''Yeah, the asshole'' She murmured.

''If it means anything to you, he's currently in the care of one of my more... less-than-sane friends'' I smiled and she clearly got the message, smirking in response.

''Thanks again then'' She giggled before calming down, tilting her head at me ''How did you heal me? The doctors said I was only unconscious when they brought me in, but I remember him... cutting my throat''.

I winced in tandem with her, her hand reaching up to the phantom pain as I spoke ''Please keep this between us, but... I brought you _back to life_ with one of my techniques, it only cost some of my Aura but otherwise both of us are fine''.

''You brought back the dead?'' She whispered in awe and I waved a hand, slightly embarrassed by the continued awe I gained from telling people.

''Uh, Yeah'' I murmured, rubbing the back of my neck ''Don't worry about it''.

''Is this the power of a Huntsman?'' She asked innocently. She was probably either my age, or a year older/younger - though I was willing to bet younger.

''Huntsman-in-training'' I corrected.

''Wow~'' She hummed, stars in her eyes ''I wanna become a Huntress!''.

I blinked ''Well you'll have to... ask about that, I cant help you with that''.

She smiled and nodded ''I know, I guess you go to Beacon?''.

''Yes'' I replied and pretended to look at my watch, though she wouldn't be able to see since she was lying down ''I better get going, my team will need me''.

''Ah, sorry for keeping you'' She smiled.

''Its fine, I'll see you sometime Mae'' I smiled back as I gave her my number, waving goodbye as I left the hospital.

* * *

When I returned to the academy, still early in the morning, I got a surprise when I found Glynda Goodwitch standing outside my dorm room. She was tapping her foot impatiently and looking around, her eyes zeroing in on me the second I entered the hall. I blinked in confusion and tilted my head slightly - something I belatedly realised, I did often - and she approached me.

''Ozpin wants to see you... its of the highest importance'' Glynda said in her usual serious demeanour, but this time it seemed to have... even more seriousness to it.

''When?''.

''Right now''.

I looked at my dorm room ''I'll be there in less than five, I just need to change and tell my team''.

''Very well'' She nodded curtly, swiftly walking away down the hall. I sighed, curious on the urgency of the message and headed into my dorm. It was only eight and after yesterday everyone was tired out, so they were obviously still asleep. I snuck over to my bed and took out a piece of paper from my notebook, writing a quick message down on it before walking over to Ruby's bed and leaving the note on her beside desk. With stealth comparable to Blake I snuck out of the room and down the halls, I had lied about getting dressed - since I already was.

I got to the elevator quickly, taking the short ride up to Ozpin's office. Upon the doors opening I took note of the other people in the room; Ozpin, Glynda, a man he didn't know of and someone he easily identified as James Ironwood. I blinked as they all turned their eyes on me, easily keeping up a blank mask of confused indifference as I walked over to the group.

''Hello'' I greeted with a nod.

''Greetings'' Ironwood nodded, a friendly smile on his face despite the militaristic nature of his posture.

''Yo'' The unknown man smiled crookedly at me, eyeing me critically, as if to say 'Is this him?'.

''Eien, meet James Ironwood. James, meet Eien Haizen'' Ozpin started, waving a hand between us and we shook hands ''Eien, meet Qrow Branwen. Qrow, meet Eien Haizen''.

I shook his hand too and turned back to Ozpin, _very_ curious as to why someone who was undoubtedly a Huntsman - and likely a powerful one at that - and James Ironwood were present. Ozpin swivelled on his chair slightly and rested his head on his chin, glasses gleaming slightly in the light.

''I have called you here Eien because you may be able to help us with something'' He said sternly, an air of grave seriousness airing through the room ''...Are you familiar with the term 'Maiden'?''.

I paused, then nodded ''Information on them is incredibly rare, but I have found a few books on them, and a couple dozen about theories of their existence''.

Ozpin nodded ''The Four Seasonal Maidens, an extension of just 'Maidens', are four individuals granted with incredible power. This power was originally given to four individuals by an old wizard nigh a millennium ago as a gift for their kindness. We do not have time for the whole story, but we do have time for the facts''.

''Maidens - Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter - are not immortal. They will age and die like normal Humans and Faunus, and when they do the last person on their mind becomes the next Maiden of the season they embody. However the last person in their thoughts must be female, relatively young, and other smaller factors are required. If the last person in the Maiden's thoughts do not meet these conditions, then it randomly chooses. This ensures that nobody can keep the power forever''.

''The current Fall Maiden, a woman by the name of Amber, was attacked a few years ago. This is the reason for our groups existence - to hide and protect the nature of the Maidens from those who attempt to steal their powers for their own'' Ozpin said darkly ''Amber herself is currently in a comatose state because of the nature of the attack by her assailant, who has now been identified as Cinder Fall''.

I clenched my fists, a dark crooked grin settling behind my bandana ''Of course its her... next we'll find out she's the one who blew up the moon or something''.

Qrow snickered, but a glare from Glynda shut us both up.

''As I was saying, Cinder Fall was the one who was responsible for not only attacking Amber, but also draining her of a majority of her Maiden Powers'' Ozpin continued ''We have kept her alive with state-of-the-art technology, and therefore preventing her powers from potentially transferring to Cinder, but she has been in a comatose state since...''.

''...and you're willing to bet I can help?'' I finished for him and he nodded ''...You saw the camera footage in the alleyway, didn't you?''.

''Possibly'' Ozpin said, a tad smugly as he took a sip of his endless coffee.

I clicked my tongue ''Its possible I could, but the problem being was I _resurrected_ Mae Sui, not brought her out of a coma. I could try obviously, and I have an idea on how I could fix it, but I'll need to, well, see her''.

''Of course'' Ozpin nodded, getting out of his chair regally as he led the small - and mostly silent group - over to a separate elevator, which had 'Storage' above it. I raised an eyebrow and entered the elevator with the others, staying silent as we all descended down the elevator. With a ding the doors opened, allowing us to walk out and into the green-tinted halls. The room was vast, extremely tall and long with intersecting corridors at different points, candles already lit. Ozpin led the four of us towards the other end.

When we reached the other end of the hall we were greeted by the sight of two Atlas Containment Pods, one of them elevated upwards so it could show the girl, which I presumed to be Amber, inside. A set of computers and monitors were in between the two pods, the second pod being flat and inactive. Amber herself was only wearing a tube top and skirt, but it was for obviously so they could have better access encase she required medical attention, and not because she wanted to wear it.

''So that's Amber?'' I asked the obvious question, noting the facial scarring. Must've been Cinder.

Another reason to hate that **_bitch_.**

''Mm'' Ozpin nodded ''She is currently on life support, so we can't move her much''.

''How long can she go without the life support?'' I asked seriously with a tad of grimness to it.

''Less than two minutes, but her condition has deteriorated since then, so I'm willing to bet less than a minute''.

I clicked my tongue again, thoughts racing ''Can you open the pod without disabling the life support?''.

''Yes...?'' Ozpin said in a rare moment of uncertainty.

''I have plan on how this might work, but I'll need the pod to be open, and when I give the signal the life-support needs to be removed. I'm not entirely sure about it, but I have a feeling said life support may interfere with the recovery, since it is not a natural part of her, but I may or may not have to give the signal'' I explained crisply and with utmost seriousness, as the situation certainly demanded it ''Permission to do so?''.

Qrow snickered again, pulling out a flask and taking a swig of whatever the contents were while Ozpin answered ''Yes, I'll open the pod now''.

I nodded and approached the pod as the front opened, a thin wire attached to her arm indicating the life support. I raised my hand and gently placed my palm over where her heart was, ignoring the soft flesh below it. My vision became sharper and cleaner as my Dunkelheit activated, and a glowing soft green Sigil appeared on the ground below me and the machine - but my focus was on Amber, so it directly affected her. I closed my eyes as I channelled my Semblance into her, trying to find what was wrong as the Sigil healed the facial scarring without too much trouble.

Then I saw it in the darkness of my eyelids, a soft orange sphere floating in the abyss. It was cracked everywhere, already missing dozens of shards as the dust on the floor indicated their fate. My mouth twisted into a grimace as I saw another piece disappear, disintegrating to dust in seconds. Mentally I reached out to the _soul_ of Amber, wordlessly commanding the shards of my own to heal hers. It regenerated, slowly, but even then I saw another piece fall off - indicating that even though I was healing, she was only living on borrowed time.

My lips shifted into a scowl as I tried to repair the damage, but it wouldn't stop wilting like a flower in winter. I tried to slow it down but it would wilt at the same rate regardless, the only saving grace being that since it takes so long to wilt it doesn't majorly affect Amber. However during my prodding I found something unique amongst the glowing orange orb; a darker shade of orange near the top. Most souls that I have inspected are consistent in colour, so for this to be a shade of colour different is a big thing. I think. I mentally extended my reach to it, hissing under my breath when it gave me the equivalent to a mental electrical shock.

''Remove... IV'' I ground out _just_ loud enough for Ozpin to hear, and I heard the sounds of keyboard tapping before a hissing noise of air, followed by the IV being unplugged from Amber. The dark orange blotch on the top faded away, revealing a severely damaged core. It was like mashed pumpkin in there, and it did not look appealing in _any_ sense. I easily changed the Sigil at my feet, sweat running down my forehead as I changed it to the revival one I used before on Mae. I doubled this with a healing one just as a precaution, and to top it all off I added several more shards to her soul as I willed them to repair her, to heal her.

I was abruptly assaulted by images, most of them either featuring Amber or from her perspectives. Memories. I dismissed them but they poured out like a torrent, so I just brushed them off as I continued my work. I was dimly aware that on the outside lightning was sparking around us erratically, but I ignored the distraction. Eventually the memories stopped, and there was a brief pause, allowing me to gather my breath as the adrenaline rushed through my veins, but even though the dull pain of Aura overuse and the lightning that had struck me was beginning to become noticeable.

 _...Hello...?_

I was brought back to reality as the soft, tired-sounding voice reached my ears and apparently my ears alone.

 _'Hello? Amber?'_ I replied with a thought.

 _Who...?_

 _'I'm Eien, and I need you to wake up Amber'._

 _I'm... tired..._

 _'I know, but just wake up for a little bit, you've been in a coma for a LONG time'._

I got no response, and I assumed she 'went back to sleep'. I stiffened when I realised her soul was deteriorating faster, so I did the only logical thing and took more shards of my soul and formed a sort of shield around hers, stopping them from falling. I grimaced as I sacrificed more of my soul to shield hers, fixing it and weathering it from the void around it. I idly took note of the blood running from my nose, something often related to brain or nose trauma, or in my case sacrificing over two thirds of my soul to contain and repair the soul of a Maiden that's been in a coma for possibly years.

 _'Dammit Amber... wake up...'._

 _But... why?_

My arm felt weak, my legs gave out, but my hand never left her heart. The surprised calls from my superiors were ignored.

 _'Because... you need... to live...'._

 _...live?_

I felt crimson liquid running from my mouth and ears, but ignored it. It was insignificant.

 _'Yes... yes, to live... I'm probably killing myself... to bring you back... so consider it a favour... between strangers... who could be... friends'._

I never heard her reply, as everything left me.

* * *

 **A/N: BOOM! How'd you like that? What will be the fate of Eien? How will his friends react? What of Amber? FIND OUT NEXT~ TIME~**

 **In difference to canon, Eien went with the 'Inner Circle' and has been given a chance to bring her back because of his Semblance and Dunkelheit. I will say now, that Dunkelheit will be a recurring concept in this fanfic and will play a major part later.**

 **How did you guys like the scene with Eien bringing back the dead? I won't play the 'Can bring back literal armies with ease' card, because that's just OTT and unrealistic. It costs quite a bit to revive someone and it only works if they died recently, and as long as it isn't major such as losing the head completely or brain destroyed. Heart is up for debate, as that could be regenerated.**

 **Eien talking a bit to Weiss, helping her with her anti-Faunus views a bit and cooing her into accepting Blake. Eien being the innocent troll he is teasing the two of them.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the Beach part of the chapter, as that was to add a bit of fluff but ultimately I think I did a pretty SHIT job of it. If you look at it, and squint _really_ hard, maybe you could fine some fluff in there, but its as clean as- gonna stop that sentence right there.**

 **Eien's Dunkelheit Revival Spell Translation:**

 _ **Rise and Fall, from heaven to hell and water to snow. Life fades from your eyes while Death beckons your admittance to the eternal shade of night. I command your return to life, as it is my will and shall not be disobeyed by any other force. Come back to life: Light weaving**_


	8. Chapter 8: Requited Feelings

**A/N: Lots of line breaks in this chapter. This chapter fought me SO HARD it was nearly impossible, but I got it done. Also, for those who wish to know, canon will begin to change from here on out in terms of certain plotlines. The backbone will remain but it will be changed, as well as time changes to canon (Things happening earlier/later than it did in canon).**

 **Something I feel the need to point out is that, despite all his powers, Eien is still only a student. If he were to go all out against a trained Hunter like Glynda, Qrow or Raven he'd likely lose. He'll improve obviously, but at the level he's at he can't compare to a veteran hunter. Yet.**

 **We officially hit 1000 Views :D (Confetti~). Thank you to all those who had reviewed, favorited and followed! It feeds my inspiration to know you guys like the story so much~**

 _ **NEXT UPDATE: Thursday (31/03/16)**_

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 8: Fragment, Amber and Requited Feelings**

* * *

Ruby sighed as she sat beside Eien's bedside in the hospital. She had a workbook in hand and her notebook in the other, writing down an assessment for Professor Port as she patiently waited for whenever Eien would wake up. One week ago she had gotten out of bed and read Eien's notice that Ozpin had urgently requested his presence, and he didn't know when he would be back. No sooner after reading that the whole school shook like it was an earthquake, undoubtedly waking up anyone who was still asleep.

After a brief fifteen minute mass panic Glynda came out and calmed them down, assuring them that the previous earthquake was the result of one Professor Ozpin's personal training sessions. It immediately occurred to her, and her team, that Eien was undoubtedly involved in it, or at least ended up getting caught in it. Glynda thankfully pulled them aside, only to give them the bad news that Eien was being taken to the infirmary - which was more of a hospital than an infirmary - and was being administered for Aura depletion, a concussion, minor blood loss, internal bleeding, a rare form of cardiac arrest and many other minor things.

They had to wait an entire hour before the operation was done, and that was a _long_ wait. When the head doctor came out he regretfully informed them that Eien was now deemed in a coma, but uplifted them by saying it was possible - given his 'unique' circumstances - he would wake in a week or two. Unfortunately Ozpin did not tell them what caused him to be reduced to that state or cause the massive tremor, but did say he saved a life - did he overuse his Semblance? We didn't know.

So she sat here, everyday, waiting for him to wake up. She considered her and him to be good friends, even if she did admit - to herself - she _may_ have a crush on him, but she couldn't really tell. She _guessed_ she had a crush on him, since when she asked her sister when she was younger about it she said 'it makes your heart flutter' and her heart felt like a damn flailing peacock whenever he teased her. He was turning into another Yang!

Doom awaits that path...

But how could she tell him? He's been pretty friendly to Weiss and Blake too, so it might just be his personality... but still! It would just make their friendship _really_ awkward if she revealed she had a crush on him and he didn't feel the same way. Gah! She'll just as Yang for advice, she has had more than a couple boyfriends after all. She sighed and put her textbook and notebook down on the table next to her, looking over at Eien's sleeping form, dressed in a plain black shirt and white shorts under a white blanket, arms above said blanket.

Memories of Eien in only trunks flashed in her mind, making her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Hesitantly she wrapped her hand around his nimble ones, feeling the cool feeling he emanated. Kinda like Weiss, only warmer with a hint of cold in it while Weiss's was just plain cold. It was a nice feeling, like a cool autumn wind on a breezy day. I yawned, unconsciously using him as a pillow as I lent down and rested my head on his chest, hearing the dull, repetitive heartbeat accompanied by slow breaths.

Soon, I fell asleep.

* * *

I felt a dull poking in my side, and in my sleepy state I just ignored it. It persisted, only slightly harder, and I swatted it away with my hand before turning over on the soft but fresh smelling ground. I heard a feminine sigh before the person - probably a woman - jabbed the object at me again, _hard_. I yelped in pan as I was rendered fully awake, landing on my rear as I blinked away the sleep in my eyes. My eyes landed on one Neopolitan, holding an umbrella - which probably used to poke me.

''Huh?'' Was all I could manage to say. Neo was supposed to be absorbed into Eien, and Eien was in a coma so she couldn't be 'manifested'. Neo rolled her eyes at my question, and turned and walked away from me, down a... grassy hill?

''Hello Ruby'' Eien's voice called and I snapped my head to the right, seeing him in his usual combat gear, a few cuts on him but otherwise in perfect condition.

''Eien?'' I asked hopefully. He chuckled and nodding, ruffling my hair playfully and making my chest tighten.

''Yeah, its me'' He smiled and I immediately hugged him for all it was worth ''Miss me?''.

''Mm-Hm'' I hummed as I hugged him, him bringing his arms around me as to pull me to my feet (I was kinda just hanging off him) ''Where are we...?''.

''Technically, inside my soul'' He chuckled and I blinked ''Remember when we talked the other day? Grassy hills and occasional trees?''.

I blinked again, looking around and sure enough we were surrounded by green hills of varying sizes and trees dotted about the landscape, a blue sky with clouds lazily floating about. Neo was sitting under a tree with a bowl of something that looked like ice cream, staring at the sky in boredom.

''Huh'' I said flatly as Eien let go of me, settling me down on my feet as we broke off from the hug ''So how am I here?''.

''Not a clue'' He smiled wryly ''Sorry about, you know, being in a coma... how've you been?''.

''Fine... the others are worried about you'' I smiled at him and he sighed.

''Sorry about that''.

''What happened anyway?'' I asked, prying for information on what happened.

He shifted ''I cant say exactly without Ozpin's permission, but I brought someone out of a coma''.

I sweat-dropped ''...and you ended up going into a coma yourself''.

''Yep!'' He laughed.

* * *

Inside his soul was actually really nice, it never got cold in her and never became night, only day and an orange-hued evening. It was awesome here, since you could _fly_ just by Eien thinking about doing so, you couldn't die, and your Aura never ran out! It was cool 'cause you could spar and you would only ever need to stop when you got tired. As of right now, they were sitting on one of the taller hills of his soul, a large oak tree behind us as we sat with our backs to it. The orange hue of the evening sky ahead of us, a cool breeze blowing as leaves gently fell around us... it was peaceful. The silence was companionable, no words being said as we just relaxed in the strange but ultimately beautiful world.

''I'll probably wake up in about... two minutes'' He mused as he looked at the sky, breaking the silence with his abrupt claim.

I pouted, I was beginning to like this place, but it also meant she'd have her team leader back ''How do I wake up?''.

''You'll wake up when I do'' He smiled at her, standing as he wiped the non-existent dust off his pants before holding a hand out to me. I smiled and took it, allowing him to pull me up. He surprised me when he pulled me into another embrace, but I relinquished that thought in exchange for leaning into the mild-temperature hug. We stayed like that for however long, probably nearly a minute, before we parted slightly.

He abruptly smiled in a teasing manner ''Hey Ruby...''.

''Yeah?'' I said, curious.

''You know you talk in your sleep right?'' He smirked faintly, his nose touching mine making me blush ''You tend to say my name a lot...''.

My face heated up like a bonfire ''A-Ah... I- um...''.

His hand came up and cupped her cheek, doing nothing to dissuade the fierce heat in them, instead invoking more heat. Cool blue stared into my silver ones, my cheeks burning. It was at times like these that made my something in me just _twist_ , making me anxious and shy when I didn't mean to be.

''Is the feeling mutual?'' He whispered and my eyes widened, was he admitting what I think he was?

I got my answer a moment later when his lips met mine, soft and cool like the rest of him. I couldn't help but relax into him, enjoying the feeling on how I felt like putty for even just a few moments. The twisting feeling in my chest melted like molten magma in me, making me feel warm all over, overjoyed. We broke apart then, him smiling down at me (it was weird saying that, since he was only taller by a few inches) and I felt a wide, happy grin come to my face.

''Guess they are'' Eien chuckled and I nodded, smiling. I had my answer!

''Time to wake up'' He sighed as my vision darkened, the last thing I saw being his caring blue eyes.

* * *

I groaned quietly when I woke up for the first time in what I presume was a week or two. I blinked several times to clear my eyes and sat up slightly in my bed, careful not to pull the IV out of my arm. Ruby awoke just as I did, turning her head on my chest and smiling at me. I returned the gesture and she got off, allowing me to sit up fully while she sat on her seat, stretching as she did so.

''What time is it?'' I asked with a yawn.

Ruby looked at the clock, which was above me ''Ten past ten in the morning, and its a Sunday''.

''Eh, only a week'' I shrugged faintly and I swung my legs over the edge, stretching my arms to get the blood flowing again. My soul was more or less in perfect condition, with only a handful of shards missing. I turned off the IV machine and then took out the IV plug in my arm, therefore preventing it from going flat and alerting the nurse. I headed to the adjoined bathroom and freshened up, getting changed into my combat gear and returning from the bathroom. Ruby, at my suggestion, went in too and had a quick shower before I handed in a fresh set of clothes - which I had easily spawned with my Semblance.

''I thought you said you couldn't make clothing?'' Ruby said from the opposite side of the door, the sound of clothes ruffling signalling her getting changed out of her previous yet identical attire.

''I lied'' I chuckled ''I just didn't want to have to go through the process of taking measurements for you guys''.

The ruffling paused ''...then how do you know my sizes?''.

''Because I measured you guys' sizes based on your combat gear - I couldn't be accurate if I made swimming attire based off those, but remaking you're usual combat attire isn't too difficult'' I replied smoothly as Ruby came out, a cute blush present.

''O-Oh'' She stuttered.

I smirked and raised an eyebrow ''Dirty thoughts?''.

She flushed darker ''S-Shut up!''.

I just laughed in amusement.

''By the way...'' Ruby asked, abruptly becoming shy ''Does this mean we're... dating?''.

I hummed before giving her a peck on the cheek, making her flush again ''I'm willing to, if you are''.

She positively beamed.

* * *

The door to Team ERWBY opened as myself and Ruby entered, the latter carrying her things she had brought to the hospital with her. It had been a breeze to get out of the hospital, leaving a note on the my desk as I left, assuring the nurse I was fine and leaving with Ruby in tow.

Immediately Blake, Yang and Weiss all perked up at our return. Upon seeing me they smiled, relief visible on their faces.

''Welcome back Eien'' Blake greeted with a smile and nod, book in hand.

''You had us worried'' Yang teased lightly ''Princess here was just as worried about her partners, one of you in a coma and the other never here''.

''S-Shut up!'' Weiss barked, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks,

''Hey guys'' I smiled as I moved to my bed, Ruby nearly skipping as she followed me, drawing curious glances from the rest of my team but was ignored. I went under the bed and pulled out my mothers journal, stashing it inside my coat before turning to the resident Schnee.

''Weiss, are you available for a while? I need you and Ruby's help on something'' I asked.

Weiss smiled ''Of course''.

I smirked faintly as I moved to the window - which had become my, and by extension my team's, impromptu escape window - and stood on the edge, Weiss and Ruby following while Yang and Blake casually continued to read their books. I gestured for Weiss and Ruby to go on ahead and they nodded, jumping down and softening the blow with their Aura. I turned and looked back at the two remaining team members.

''Hey Blake?'' I called and the Faunus girl looked up at me ''Hold Yang down for me would you?''.

Blake blinked but nodded, walking over to the girl and holding her arms down, the busty blonde - who coincidentally put headphones in - started in confusion, looking at Blake and pulling her headphones out in response.

''By the way Yang'' I called and the blonde looked at me ''I'm dating your sister''.

Without another word I jumped off the edge, breaking out into a full-on sprint and laughing all the while.

* * *

''Yang is going to _kill_ you when we get back'' Weiss said dryly as we entered the cave. Since its original form I altered it, having it extended it lengthwise a bit more while making the entrance as inconspicuous as possible. I had built a second level, joined with stairs, that led into a room designated to be a hanger-area. In there was a custom Bullhead I was working on and some other military items. We had spare Adamantite, so better to put it to good use after all.

''Yep'' I drawled with a still-present smirk ''And it was worth it for the look of shock on her face''.

Ruby giggled and Weiss rolled her eyes, an amused smirk on her face.

''So, what did you need my - our - help for?'' Weiss inquired.

''A new weapon, one that'll help me use my Sigil's more effectively, since it takes a bit of time to create one'' I explained to both of them ''And since Ruby is the resident weapon expertise and you are the expert of Dust and Glyphs/Sigil's, I called on both of you''.

''Okay... so where should we start?'' Ruby asked, tilting her head.

I smirked, jerking my head over to the block of Adamantite.

''Of course...'' Weiss sighed.

* * *

Ten hours later we returned to Beacon, but overall pleased with our work. We formed an Adamantite Gauntlet with a golden circle on the palm of the Gauntlet to help conduct my Aura, we also painted the crimson Adamantite a midnight black. The Gauntlets went up to his elbows, and he named the pair of them Fragment, since Dunkelheit used Aura but also sometimes used _fragments_ of his soul when it came to the healing-based or illusion-based Sigils. Overall I was massively pleased with Fragment, and it showed when I hugged the duo, making both blush heavily.

It 'projected' my Sigils, requiring only my memory of the Sigil to be summoned, and unlike the regular Sigil's - which could only be summoned a few feet at most - it increased this to maybe fifteen feet. Seemingly insignificant but overly a powerful increase, since in the process of making the Gauntlets they found out I could summon my Sigil's through my feet without even moving, but required most of my concentration, preventing me from attacking and even muffling my hearing when Ruby spoke, meaning that I could do it in a brief lull in a fight but not in the heat of one.

We walked into the dining hall, finding JNPR and the remaining members of ERWBY at their primary table. We walked over after getting our trays of food and sat down, smiling at them - I was careful to sit _far_ away from Yang at the end of the table. The table we were sat at had eight seats on both sides, holding a max of 4 normal teams - not including ERWBY.

''Hi guys!'' Ruby smiled as she sat beside me, Weiss sitting beside her and filling the row of people.

''Hey!'' Nora smiled widely, stuffing food into her mouth ''Where have you guys been?''.

''Forging'' I shrugged, smiling uneasily at Yang ''Hi Yang''.

''Fight. Right now'' She glared.

I sighed ''Give me five minutes to finish my dinner''.

Yang grunted, finishing her own meal before storming off to the training grounds.

I sighed, again ''Well at least I can test my new weapon...''.

Ruby laughed awkwardly, patting my back sympathetically.

* * *

Word travelled fast, even at dinner time.

I had left two minutes after Yang, and by the time the rest of my team came in a minute later we had garnered a huge crowd. Whispers of Yang fighting against her so-far undefeated leader echoed through the crowd, curious as to who would win. Yang was powerful, arguably the second strongest on the team because of her incredible Semblance, but he was confident. While he wasn't one who aspired to never lose, he knew that if he won it would be better than letting himself get hammered by Yang - she wanted to beat into him, so if he could tire her out then it would be better.

I smiled at Yang and she replied with a dangerous grin. With a fluid motion I unslung Judgement and, surprising Yang and the crowd, threw it away, letting it hit the force-field away from us. I also threw Punishment as well, smirking at Yang as I lowered my hood and bandana, letting her see my smirk.

''You aint going easy on me, are you?'' She said dangerously.

''Never'' I smirked as I raised my fists ''I just wanted to test my new weapon is all''.

The automated system above us counted down ''3!''.

I tensed, spreading my legs in a defensive position as Yang went into an aggressive one.

''2!''.

Cheers from the crowd, for both sides. Yang's eyes widened faintly as my Dunkelheit activated, eyes becoming a royal purple as my senses became sharper.

''1!'' A pause, followed by ''Go!''.

Yang immediately charged, cocking a fist back and thrusting it forward. I raised both hands into an X position and easily allowed the Aura-enhanced Adamantite to absorb the blow, I allowed the aftershock to knock me back, skidding to a stop. I raised a palm out to her, the image of a certain Sigil appearing in my head. A body-sized red-orange Sigil appeared in front of me, stunning Yang momentarily and the crowd.

''Insho: Kasai'' I smirked as the Sigil glowed before a wild beam of flames shot out, worming through the air. Yang yelped and rolled out of the way of the attack, letting it hit the nigh-invisible barrier behind her and leave a mild burn on the barrier - a testament to the power the Sigil's held.

''No fair'' She pouted as she got up.

I raised an eyebrow in amusement ''Will that stop the oh-so-great Yang Xiao Long?''.

She grinned ''Nope!''.

I rolled the side to avoid a slew of shells she fired and I felt another smirk coming as I saw an opportunity to use one of my most recent and ultimately undeveloped techniques. SchattenSchritt. It was a very unique technique, holding some resemblance to Blake's and Ruby's Semblance in that it allowed one to essentially move at an incredible speed, but in fact that was _not_ SchattenSchritt. The technique was far more complex on a molecular level, so much so I didn't fully comprehend, but on a simple term it was a form of teleportation. It allowed the user to move from a location to a different area in an area around them, in a radius of about maybe a twenty-five metres - the further the more taxing - and with training, it is said that one can even have a maximum radius of a thousand feet - but that's like best-of-the-best, so I won't reach that for a while.

I activated it, feeling my body evaporate and immediately reform, appearing behind Yang. I generated a torso-sized White Sigil behind me just as Yang registered I somehow got behind her, eyes wide.

''Insho: Chikara'' I intoned and she was sent tumbling to the other side of the arena, but got to her feet quickly as her eyes flashed red, hair igniting.

She almost blurred as she reached me in seconds, fist cocked back. I wisely avoided her strike, not willing to bet if her Semblance-enhanced Adamantite Gauntlets could overpower mine. I punched her in the stomach, dodging a follow-up strike and creating another palm-sized white Sigil, repeating the phrase from before as she was sent skidding back. She recovered admirably, charging me and landing a strike to my stomach, my Aura dampened the blow but it still hurt. I let out a grunt and dodged her second strike, landing a roundhouse kick to her side and allowing me to glance at my scroll for once.

 _Yang: 80% / Eien: 86%_

She didn't let my attack stop her, and I attempted the same manoeuvre only for my ankle to get grabbed, followed by me slamming into the barrier with a loud thud, followed by an 'ohhhh! by the crowd as my Aura dropped to 65%. I hissed in pain and got to my feet, falling into a crouch and placing one hand on the ground at my feet. A large Black Sigil appeared beneath me, the size big enough to encompassed almost all of the arena.

''Insho: Juryoku'' I stated as the Sigil glowed faintly with wisps of black energy. Immediately gravity was intensified ten fold, Yang immediately been hunched over as the air almost blurred from the force alone. I was not exempt from this effect, but it was lessened to some degree. I let a strained grin cross my face as I used SchattenSchritt to move to her side, landing a fierce kick to her stomach, sending her into the barrier behind her, wordlessly dismissing the gravity Sigil.

 _Yang: 72% / Eien: 60%_

She charged back again and I ducked under her titan-strength punch, swinging at her legs and knocking her feet out from under her, immediately backpedalling to avoid a slew of shells she fired in my direction, only a few connecting. I used SchattenSchritt to clear some distance between us before using both hands to create two separate Sigil's, fire and ice.

''Insho: Kasai - Insho: Reito'' I intoned and both Sigil's glowed before two beams of Ice and Fire shot out, intertwining and snaking towards Yang. She dodged, but got nicked on her arm, getting a fierce Freezer-Burn from it.

 _Yang: 60% / Eien: 48%_

She charged me just as the Sigil's were dismissed and I ducked under a blow, grunting as she struck my shoulder and drove my knee into her stomach, knocking her left knee out from under her and striking her side with a roundhouse kick. I panted as I regained the air I had lost in my lungs, but that smirk-grin never left my face, and Yang looked like she was certainly enjoying herself - then again, she always complained about never having anyone to spar with who used hand-to-hand.

''Looks like I need to get better at hand-to-hand, eh Yang?'' I asked, grabbing her outstretched arm and throwing her over my shoulder, but she used my shoulder as a springboard, jumping off and skidding to a stop. She didn't reply, but smirked as she fired off another slew of shells and I raised my hand, silently summoning another 'Force' Sigil and allowing it to act as a shield, letting the shots bounce off. When she charged I quietly murmured the words, activating it and sending her tumbling back from the unexpected shockwave.

 _Yang: 40% / Eien: 38%_

I use SchattenSchritt to appear behind her, slyly tripping her when she got up and dodging her annoyed counter. I danced around her shells, strangely enough everything seemed to be slowing down almost... but I haven't learned to use one of the higher-levelled Sigil's like Time Dilation... and Dunkelheit doesn't do this. Whatever was causing it stopped as time sped up again and I narrowly evaded one of her follow-up shots, forcing me to use SchattenSchritt to avoid it and step beside her.

She attempted to lash out but I leaned around her fist, striking her underarm and back of her knee, followed by a knee to the stomach and palm-strike to her collar. The resulting combo sent her tumbling backwards once again as she stumbled back to her feet. That was one of my problems with hand-to-hand; I couldn't last in an all-out fight with it, only trained to deliver a quick but harsh combination of attacks to stun my opponent long enough to retrieve my main weapons. However in this situation I was fighting against the 'Blonde Brawler' as she had gained the name, arguable the best hand-to-hand user in the whole school. I glanced at my scroll, just as Yang was getting up.

 _Yang: 18% / Eien: 34%_

My breaths were coming in pants, and so was Yang's. But regardless we were both grinning, and my last set of attacks had turned the tables entirely, with me only losing 4% Aura while she lost a large chunk as her Aura was used to absorb the blows. She took off again, firing her shells as she did so, forcing me to erect another barrier and activate it when she got close, but this time she narrowly avoided it, leaving me wide open. I grunted as her fist slammed into my stomach and chest and the same time with all the force of a freight train, sending me skidding back.

I immediately retaliated when she got close enough, ducking inside her guard and elbowing her sore stomach, finishing with the classic roundhouse kick as she was sent tumbling away, the buzzer above us ending the match.

 _Yang: 8% / Eien: 19%_

I let out a breath of air ''Damn you pack a punch Yang''.

She smirked back as she got up, stretching out the kinks in her shoulders ''You bet''.

We made our way to the edge of the stage, walking down the stairs as our team smiled in greeting. All was good.

For now, at least.

* * *

The next day I once again found myself on the elevator to Ozpin's office, and I idly hoped that it wasn't because I needed to revive another Maiden, then again Ozpin didn't mention multiple Maiden's so I presume that means it was a one-time thing - plus I doubt Ozpin would put me through that again. It was a pain to escape Ruby's clutches when Goodwitch requested my presence again, Ruby's excuse being she didn't want me to go into a coma again. I assured her I wouldn't and Blake and Weiss comically held her down while I made a hasty retreat.

The elevator dinged open as I arrived at the top of the tower. Like before the group from before was present, only this time Ironwood was missing while Amber was present, dressed in an off-white blouse with a brown vest, corset and pants. She also had a gold bracer on her left arm, two gold bracelets on her right wrist and a pair of golden armoured boots. She had a golden pauldron on her right shoulder as well as a shoulder strap with some pouches slung diagonally across her body.

''Welcome back, Eien'' Ozpin nodded his greeting, Glynda off to his right and Qrow lounging on a chair, a flask in hand. Amber was sat in a chair as well, nodding and offering a smile to me as I sat in my own chair.

''Hello'' I returned the greeting ''So, what's this about?''.

''A formal introduction, among other things'' Ozpin stated, nodding between us ''I believe you two have yet to officially meet, aside from meeting in your respective comatose states''.

I smiled at Amber ''Hello''.

She returned the smile ''Hi''.

It was a short and plain greeting, but I already knew nearly everything about her from her memories that I looked through, and I had a sneaking suspicion it went both ways.

''Right'' Ozpin drawled, a hint of dry humour leaking into his tone ''With that out of the way, I believe we need to discuss on where we will go from here, Amber''.

Amber nodded seriously ''Cinder Fall is still in possession of half of the Fall Maiden's power, meaning my power is halved, but still accessible. Taking into account that I've been in a coma for a few years, my skills have undoubtedly dwindled as well''.

''I see'' Ozpin nodded, pausing to sip his omnipresent coffee ''Do you wish at a chance to take your revenge on Cinder?''.

Amber nodded.

''Very well. Eien and Pyrrha Nikos will assist you in your combat training, while Pyrrha Nikos will also help you adjust to your stay at Beacon'' Ozpin said, surprising me and very much Amber.

I blinked.

Then shrugged.

''Eh, sure''.

* * *

The elevator dinged as the doors opened, with me, Amber and Qrow exiting while Glynda and Ozpin were still up in their office. Right now it was only about five in the evening, dinner having started half an hour ago. We made our way towards the dining hall, and I was mildly excited to introduce Amber. From what I had gleamed from the girl as of now, she wasn't shy, but was a bit... uncertain. As if everything would just collapse on her if she disagreed with someone or said something wrong, and Ozpin's subtle reassurances could only take her confidence so far.

We enter the dining hall and, at mine and Qrow's insistence, Amber took a small bit of food. Logically the reason for her small portion was sound, as she hadn't eaten a meal in years - sans the past week which was spent in physical therapy. I found my Team and JNPR and led my two companions over to the table, settling down next to Ruby with Qrow on my right, Amber hiding behind the hunters' larger frame at the end of the table.

''Hi Ruby'' I smiled at her.

''Hey Eien'' She greeted and peered around me at Qrow, eyes widening ''Uncle Qrow?!''.

''Yo'' He grinned and I blinked.

''You're her uncle'' I stated, looking between them - until Ruby glomped the elder man.

''Yup'' He smirked, peeling Ruby off as he looked at Yang ''How you kids been?''.

''We are _not_ kids'' Yang scowled, before smirking ''Then again considering how **_old_** you are, its not surprising''.

''I am not old!'' He barked, but his eyes told of his bantering mirth ''And you're not going to introduce me? Have you no manners?''.

''Guys, this is my uncle Qrow!'' Ruby beamed proudly at us, as if she just won the lottery.

''Weiss Schnee, a pleasure'' Weiss nodded to the hunter.

''Blake Belladonna'' Blake smiled politely, looking up from her dinner.

''I'm Nora Valkyrie!'' Nora beamed at Qrow, who chuckled in reaction as she glomped her partner and friend ''And this is Ren!''.

''Lie Ren'' Ren said, muffled my Nora's arm ''Nice to meet you''.

''And I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc'' Jaune smiled hesitantly before looking at me ''Have you seen Pyrrha? She kinda just left a few minutes ago''.

Before I could respond, said girl sat down again ''Hello! Sorry I'm late, I'm Pyrrha Nikos''.

''Qrow Branwen'' Qrow smiled in greeting at all of us before looking down at Amber ''Are you going to introduce yourself?''.

Amber blushed faintly, embarrassed and suddenly shy ''I'm... Amber''.

''Hi!'' Nora greeted enthusiastically while I looked at Pyrrha.

''What did Ozpin say?'' I asked, Ozpin himself having called for Pyrrha when we were present.

''Its alright to disclose information within our group... as long as Amber says it fine of course!'' Pyrrha smiled at Amber, who hesitantly returned the gesture.

''Um... maybe if its only somewhere private?'' She said and I agreed with a nod. We ate our dinner and idly chatted, with Amber staying quiet and picking at her food while occasionally answering a question or two. After all that was done we headed back to our dorms with Qrow and Amber in tow, gaining more than a few looks. Once we returned to ERWBY's dorm I quietly locked the door behind us before turning to my friends - and Qrow, because I wasn't too sure on how to feel about him...

If he was anything like Yang, then I better up my training. By a lot.

''So...'' I drawled, looking at Amber ''Do you want to tell them, or should I?''.

''I'll tell them'' Amber said, taking a deep breath before facing the group ''I'm Amber... the current Fall Maiden''.

I couldn't suppress the snicker that came with their expressions of varying surprise. Nora was the only one considerably different, in that she looked more curious than shocked. Qrow also visibly found this amusing, judging by how his shoulder shook as he repressed his laughter, while Amber looked embarrassed. Two minutes later, followed by a lot of explaining, the two teams were calmed down and given the revelation that it was her awakening that caused the tremor the 'other day', and that both me and her were now fine.

''So Cinder was responsible for taking half your power?'' Yang scowled when she nodded ''Another reason to beat the shit out of her''.

''Get in line'' I murmured darkly, before reverting to my now-default cheery face ''Anyway, I believe Professor Ozpin has assigned you, Pyrrha, to help Amber get adjusted here?''.

''Ah! I need to show you your new room'' She smiled at the tanned Maiden ''Its just down the hall from here, I'll show you''.

''Thank you'' Amber smiled, looking at me as well ''And thank you to you too''.

I smiled ''No problem''.

She nodded and left with the Mistral champion, leaving us to our devices.

* * *

''Are you _sure_ nobody will find us here?'' Amber asked for the fifth time.

I sighed, smiling ''Yes Amber, I can assure you that you will not be found, and if by some unlikely chance you are then Yang will beat the memory out of them''.

''Alright, sorry'' She sighed as we walked into the cleared, deep in the forests away from Beacon but not infested with Grimm.

''Its a reasonable paranoia'' I acknowledged as I turned to her ''If you'd please, I would like to see a basic demonstration of your abilities, then I can get a good grasp on what areas we need to work on''.

She nodded, moving to the centre of the clearing as to obviously gain an appropriate amount of space. She glowed and her eyes obtained a similar glow as to when Cinder used her Dust powers, only hers was in the form of clothing while Amber's were her eyes. The wind began to pick up around us as she breathed deeply, her Aura fluctuating slightly outside her body, it dulled hue showing its disuse. Regardless the wind picked up, scattering leaves around us while picking up others into the gust.

She slowly levitated upwards into the air, gaining about maybe seven feet before she stopped, the wind forming something akin to lopsided rings around her, whirling as the sky slowly darkened with storm clouds. Thunder crackled overhead and she directed her left hand down to a tree, and the thunder followed her guidance and sent a furious bolt of lightning down at the harmless tree. In seconds it charred, and by the time the golden bolt stopped it was nothing more than black ash that was blown away by the wind. Amber swiped a hand and a particularly strong gust of wind kicked up nearly a dozen trees, blowing them deeper into the forest and uprooting a few more of their brethren in the process.

Amber let out a breath as she lowered to the ground, panting lightly as the glow disappeared and the environment around us returned to normal. It seems she exhausted herself a little... probably from her disuse of her Aura. We'll need to work on her stamina and probably some advanced physical therapy to get her back into action, and she'll need a weapon since her powers could be dangerous indoors. Judging from muscle mass alone she was probably more of a speed fighter like Ruby instead of an attack-class person like Yang.

Bringing my attention back to Amber, I asked ''Do you, or rather _did_ you, have a weapon?''.

''I had a staff I used to use to subdue attackers'' She said, straightening up ''But obviously, its long gone''.

I hummed ''Well myself and Ruby could help you create a weapon, we have access to some... _exclusive_ materials''.

''Exclusive Materials?'' She questioned curiously and I closed the distance between us to prevent people from overhearing.

''Adamantite'' I clarified seriously.

''...oh'' Was all she replied with before smiling hesitantly ''Yeah, if you're offering''.

''Great'' I smiled and nodded ''First however, how are you in hand-to-hand combat?''.

She shrugged ''Okay, I guess. I only used to use them when I was knocked away from my staff''.

I nodded ''That's similar to my fighting style, hit and run in a sense''.

Falling into stance, I gave her a friendly smile as she hesitantly got into a similar stance ''Looks like we both something to improve upon''.

''Mm'' She hummed before we both charged.

* * *

I strolled into my dorm room after dropping Amber off at her own room and paused, to take in the scene in front of me. Blake was sitting behind her bed, hissing madly while in a very cat-like position while Weiss was behind her own bed and staring uneasily at the centre of the room. In said centre was a roll-like package, nothing too strange there, but when it _jumped_ , I became concerned.

''What did you put in here?'' I asked, looking at the two girls while pondering the sisters' absence.

''We didn't! Qrow came in here and dumped it in here saying it was for Ruby and Yang!'' Weiss said, glaring at the package as she tried to regain some form of dignity.

Just then Ruby popped up behind me ''Hey guys!''.

''Hello'' I smiled down at Ruby, down as in by the several inch difference ''Qrow left you and Yang a package''.

''Did someone call my name~?'' Yang sang as she leaned in the doorway.

''I mentioned it'' I replied and she gave me a 'I was joking' look.

''Ooh, I wonder what he left?'' Ruby said as she sat down next to the bag, jumping when the package jumped ''Uh...''.

She unwrapped it hesitantly, but her face lit up when it turned out to be... a dog? ''Zwei!''.

''Zwei?'' I repeated, looking between the dog - which had now tackled a laughing Ruby to the ground - and Yang.

''He's our dog'' She grinned and I blinked.

''...why was he in a package?'' I drawled.

The blonde shrugged ''Eh, he's tough''.

I sighed in response, looking over at Blake who was watching with narrowed eyes, having used her blanket to hide herself, making her look like she was a baby wrapped up in a blanket since only her face was shown. Weiss was frowning at the dog, as if it would bite her but she was too dignified to repeat Blake's actions. Just then I felt a moderate weight being added to my chest, and looked down to see Zwei had jumped on me, clinging to my coat surprisingly well as it looked up at me with childish curiosity.

''Hello'' I smiled, patting its head as it barked happily ''So, why did Qrow leave you here then, Zwei?''.

As expected, he only got a cheerful bark in return, regardless if the animal actually understood the question or not.

Yang pulled out a note from the destroyed packaging, reading in a mumbled tone before reiterating herself ''Uncle Qrow said he sent Zwei when he left for Beacon two weeks ago, so Zwei ended up in Professor Port's care until now, and now that he's here Qrow will let him stay with him, but let Zwei visit us occasionally''.

''What?!'' Weiss exclaimed, stomping towards the dog in my arms ''Are you tell me this mingy... drooling... mutt! Is going to live with us forever?''.

I blinked as she did a complete 180 from annoyed to melting at the sight of Zwei, even her speech becoming one of someone fawning over a dog. I handed the dog to Weiss who immediately cuddled the fluffy creature, giggling when it licked her... she _had_ to be bipolar. Something for me to note though; Weiss liked cute things. Noted.

I turned to Ruby ''How's the 'Project' going, my Sweet Rose?''.

She blushed a fierce red from my new nickname for her ''G-Good!''.

I chuckled, an amused smile curling at my lips as I backed out of the room ''Cookies~''.

Cookies being the calling for, well, cookies. I immediately laughed heartily as Ruby nearly tackled me off my feet, clinging to me ''Sheesh you're addicted Sweet Rose''.

''Not even once'' She responded with a laugh. Halfway down the hall we ran into Ren and Nora, despite the hour (21:00) ''Hey Ren, Nora''.

''Hello'' Ren greeted politely, taking note of their similar destination ''Cookies?''.

''Pancakes?'' I asked, nodding towards Ruby and Nora behind us who talked animatedly.

''Yeah'' He sighed, when one of the most _**horrific**_ questions in existence came from Ruby.

''What happens if you mix a pancake and a cookie? A Coocake?''.

We paled.

* * *

Russell rolled backwards to avoid a downward smash of Magnhild, only for Nora to spin and strike his chest with the hammer-grenade launcher hybrid. He was sent sailing into the invisible barrier with a groan as hid Aura dipped into the red and the unseen buzzer buzzed as Glynda walked onto the stage.

''As you can see students, even though Miss Valkyrie missed her initial attack she used her opponents extended evasion time to follow-up with a second strike'' Glynda said sternly as Nora skipped off the stage, opposed to Russell who literally dragged himself off ''Next Match: Lie Ren vs Eien''.

I got up from my seat, smiling at Ren who returned the gesture, a dab of nervousness in his eyes. So far the only people close to defeating me have been Pyrrha and Yang, the latter because I was exclusively using only one weapon. I walked down to the stage and went up one set of stairs while Ren went up the other, leaving us facing the other. I pulled up my bandana but left my hood down as per usual for fights indoors (since the hood partially covered my peripherals). Judgement, as per usual during combat classes, was slung over my shoulder in its sniper form

''3! 2! 1!'' Glynda counted down ''Begin!''.

I unslung Judgement and fell into a crouch, using my forearm as a bracer as I quickly lay the bipod in front of my arm and fired a shot, the recoil making the bipod clank against Fragment. Ren easily evaded the bullet with trained ease, sprinting at me and sliding under my second shot. I stepped backwards as I spun Judgement during its transformation process, blocking the blades of StormFlower just as Judgement finished transforming. The two small blades of StormFlower grinded against the flat of Judgement's blade. After a scant few moments I shoved him back, spinning and twirling Judgement around me and succeeding in catching his chest, leaving a small cut as he moved back.

Judgement smoothly transformed back into its sniper state, allowing me to aim with one hand and pull the trigger, using the following recoil to clear some extra distance between myself and Ren. Said teen grunted as the bullet struck him in the stomach, his Aura protecting him from all but the blunt trauma that came from a fast-moving piece of metal. I got into a more stable stance and fired the fourth shot, which he dodged, and then fired the fifth and final shot, which hit his knee with enough force to make him stumble. He raised StormFlower and began unloading rounds towards me and I cursed under my breath, raising a hand in front of me and murmuring the required phrase before a 'Force' Sigil appeared in front of me, tanking the bullets while I reloaded, though a few bullets still hit me.

 _Ren: 73% / Eien: 90%_

''Insho: Chikara'' I murmured as the force redirected several bullets back towards Ren, who easily dodged _most_ them. I fired at my feet and took to the air, aiming and firing a shot at him, striking his shoulder as I went flying back into the nigh-invisible barrier. I planted my feet against it as I landed before firing behind me, rocketing towards Ren. Said teen just finished reloading his own guns and immediately began firing upon me, forcing my Aura to tank the hits as my momentum prevented me from dodging too much. In an effort to catch Ren off guard I _threw_ Judgement towards him, and judging by how his eyes widened it did catch him off guard. The transformable scythe spun like a razor blade until its bladed edge embedded itself a foot from where Ren once was.

 _Ren: 55% / Eien: 80%_

I impacted the ground with a thud, nearly cracking the ground, and slammed my palm onto the ground as I smirked deviously at Ren from behind my bandana. He seemed to see it regardless of the fact it was covered, and narrowed his eyes as he tensed, eyes scrutinizing me for any hints of my future movements.

''Insho: Han Juryoku'' I intoned as a sickly-white Sigil covered the whole of the arena at our feet, I could certainly feel the drain on my Aura. Immediately we found ourselves flying upwards towards the ceiling and in unison we flipped mid-air, landing with our feet on the roof.

''Reverse Gravity?'' Ren mumbled curiously and I nodded, before charging off towards him. It felt like they weren't actually inverted at all, sans the fact they were now standing on the roof. As long as the Sigil remained gravity would stay like this... but if I turned it off...

I rolled out of Ren's hail of bullets, firing a shot behind me and clashing blades with him. His knee came racing for my stomach and I leaned back, avoiding the attack and retaliating with my own swipe to his ankles. He fell but recovered admirably, landing on his hands and flipping backwards before resuming his hail of fire, likely aware that it was one of my few weaknesses with Judgement. I spun Judgement as fast as I could, using it as a shield that ricocheted incoming bullets, but it still didn't stop all of them.

 _Ren: 50% / Eien: 65%_

I smiled, Ren was one of the few people on JNPR and ERWBY who had an automatic gun, and that being his one weakness made it difficult to counter. Getting my mind back on the fight I charged him when he ran dry, swiping at his legs while intentionally leaving my back open. As predicted he used me as a springboard to gain altitude, grabbing his magazines when I slyly turned the Anti-Gravity Sigil, making Gravity return to normal as we both descended rapidly.

Caught off guard, Ren couldn't react in time aside from flare his Aura, while I fell over him and crashed down on him with the assistance of a small Gravity Sigil. I smashed into him and fired Punishment and Judgement at once, creating an explosion mid-air and increasing his descent while the explosion slowed mine down and allowed me to adjust my position so I wouldn't land on Ren, instead I impacted against the ground and rolled to a stop, panting.

''Winner; Eien!'' Glynda announced, prompting me to look at the Aura metres.

 _Ren: 9% / Eien: 42%_

I walked up to and heaved the teen up, steadying him before we walked off the stage ''Nice fight''.

''You too'' Ren smiled tiredly as we moved back to our seats, with Ren slumping into his chair next to Nora.

''Overkill much?'' Yang asked me with a grin.

I chuckled ''Ain't no kill like overkill''.

''I have to disagree'' Weiss grumbled and I chuckled again.

* * *

A series of metallic clanks and scrapes echoed throughout the cave now known as Eien's Workshop, since he created and usually worked there. Down on the second floor myself and Ruby in work-ish clothes, working on our newest Adamantite-based project; a Bullhead. On the far right of the room were four crimson Atlesian Knight-200's, made from Adamantite and following my commands. Interesting thing I noted about creating semi-sentient beings with my Semblance is that they don't require verbal commands, at least they don't anymore since they used to when I was younger.

As it was, they were in a sort of deactivated state, not needed so they would remain inactive. The plan was to make an Adamantite Bullhead that would work as ERWBY's and JNPR's private Bullhead for when they left for missions into hostile areas, since the incredible durability of the Adamantite could withstand a Nevermore to a degree. It would also function as a dropship for the Adamantite Atlesian Knights, which would now be known as AAK-1. Surprisingly it had been Ruby who suggested they do workshop projects, claiming she preferred it over just lazing about.

Despite the fact they were dating, neither of them were too... anxious, to go on a proper date. They had an idle conversation about it, and found out that neither were too overexcited for a proper date, 'Dates are overrated' they agreed with a laugh. It was a little strange in a sense, how they still acted like friends in a sense, if only with displays of affection added. Not that he minded, at all.

Currently, he was in the cockpit, adding the final additions to it, mainly dials. Fuel gage, altitude monitor, localised map, a small square screen displaying the current hull integrity, and weapon systems. They had given the Bullhead a duel spool-up Minigun's filled with explosive Dust rounds, courteously of buying nearly all of Vale's Dust to supply its ammo. Dust was still one of the few things I couldn't recreate with my Semblance, along with fully-aware Sentient Beings such as living humans. I couldn't understand why, and I intended to go ask Ozpin about it later, and perhaps Professor Oobleck.

Inside the wings of the Bullhead was several pairs of self-loading rocket pods, loaded with Dust-based rockets of varying types. Beside the main ventilator (which was on the top of the hull, directly in the middle) were two pods of a device he liked to call 'Flares'. What Flares did was when activated they shot off, you guessed it, flares. However from what he inspected of the Atlas AA Turrets, especially the newest ones, was that they replied on heat signatures that a Bullhead would naturally emit from its engines, meaning that as long as the engine was on it would track. Since they relied on heat, and flares were more-or-less a ball of fire, the missiles would be directed to the flares.

I had the idea of a fully 'Optimizable Camouflage' that would essentially make the Bullhead invisible, but he wasn't entirely sure on how to do so. Another thing to add to the growing list of ideas I had for the ultimate Bullhead. The sound of footsteps, more refined than mine or Ruby's, drew my attention as I walked out of the Bullhead. I was surprised to see Ozpin standing by the stairs, admiring our handiwork with a critical but appreciative eye.

''Interesting usage of Adamantite'' Ozpin commented and Ruby let out a cute 'eep' as she was caught off-guard by Ozpin's appearance. She tumbled out of the rear of the Bullhead, falling on her front with a groan.

I smiled and helped her up, while responding ''Well we had a fair amount left over''.

He hummed, raising an eyebrow at the deactivated droids ''Only four?''.

I smirked faintly ''When you have an army, its hard to keep track of all of them, the lower the number the easier it is to spot when one is missing''.

''Hm, quite'' He agreed with a nod, inspecting the Adamantite Bullhead ''Are you intending to mass produce these, or perhaps sell them to the highest bidders?''.

''Not really, considering the potential of its fabrication would allow for the chance of someone creating an army of nigh-indestructible airships'' I shook my head.

''Adamantite is strong, incredibly so, but not invincible'' Ozpin retorted ''In fact a high-concentration of Dust would probably be able to pierce it''.

''Probably'' I shrugged ''Anyhow, why are you down here if I may ask?''.

''Merely inspecting what you have been doing for over a month... you weren't extremely discreet'' Ozpin said with an amused smile ''That, and Miss Valkyrie is beginning another 'Coocake Massacre' as you have grown to call it, so I would advise you to avoid the dining hall if possible''.

I paled in worry for Ren. 'Coocake Massacre' was the title given to the event that occurred following Ruby's seemingly innocent question, when Nora literally devoured every Pancake-Cookie in the school and moved onto Vale like a hungry shark, gaining a serious craving for nearly a day straight before passing out. It was bad for her health, and anytime she had the urge to consume a mix of cookies and pancakes it usually required a fair amount of force needed to restrain her. Namely me or Weiss making a gravity Glyph/Sigil.

''Oum help us all'' I prayed for the safety of Ren, and the rest of Vale and Beacon.

* * *

''You know, when Professor Ozpin said that Nora was on a Coocake rampage, I expected more destruction'' Ruby commented as we peered into the lunch halls, seeing only a dozen shattered tables and food everywhere ''I mean its bad, but nothing like the first time''.

''Why did you have to bring it up in the first place'' I sighed, playfully poking her side.

''I'm sorry~'' She whined, clinging onto me with fake tears running down her face.

''You're so cute, Sweet Rose'' I smiled as she flushed red, even after hearing the nickname many times.

''S-Shut up'' She mumbled shyly as she buried her head in my chest and I laughed as we proceeded towards our dorm, and upon returning we were mildly surprised to see it barren, but shrugged it off. We moved over to my bed and I slouched against the wall, Ruby lying down and placing her head on my lap. I gently combed my hand through her hair soothingly and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling as we just sat there, enjoying the calm as the sky darkened.

''We should go with the others tomorrow, go see the festival'' I commented idly. Ruby hummed as she sat up, leaning against me.

''You wanna check out the competition?'' She asked curiously.

I blinked ''No...? I just meant it would be nice to get out. What gave you that idea?''.

''Weiss'' Ruby said plainly and I nodded, making an 'Ah' sound.

The door opened and Blake walked in, book in one hand and sandwich in the other. She looked at us and nodded a greeting before heading to her own bed, sitting and continuing her task silently.

''Hey Blake'' I called, breaking the calm silence ''We haven't shown Ruby yet, have we?''.

Blake blinked in confusion, so I poked my head and her eyes widened in acknowledgement and mild fear. Ruby looked between us in confusion, which grew as she watched Blake reach up to her bow. When the ribbon-come-bow was unwrapped however her eyes went wide, eyes glued to the kitty ears on Blake's head. There was a tense silence for all but five seconds before Ruby was a blur, glomping Blake.

'' _THEY'RE SO CUTE~!_ '' She squealed as she hugged Blake for all it was worth, mumbling incoherently about how cute her ears were for almost a minute. By the time she stopped Blake had passed out ''B-Blake! W-Wake up! I'm sorry, it was an accident! Blake~!''.

I couldn't contain my laughter at the sight of a Chibi Ruby shaking a Chibi Blake, the former trying to awaken the latter.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that's that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it _really_ fought me to write this. Next chapter we will finally move onto the events of Episode 15-16, but since Blake's Faunus nature is already exposed to her team, things will be _much_ different. OC's will likely be added in future for specific reasons, and I intend to change the Vytal Combat Tournament a fair bit, not just in the people participating but also how it is set up. I hope you don't mind~**

 **Something to note about being inside someone's soul; damaging it _will_ _not_ affect the person, but any permanent damage to the soul will be represented (I.E. Part of Eien's landscape disintegrating).**

 **Eien's Dunkelheit Powers Translation:**

 **Insho: Kasai = Sigil: Fire (Japanese)**

 **Insho: Chikara = Sigil: Force (Japanese)**

 **Insho: Juryoku = Sigil: Gravity (Japanese)**

 **Insho: Han Juryoku = Sigil: Anti Gravity (Japanese)**

 **Insho: Raito = Sigil: Frozen(Ice) (Japanese)**

 **SchattenSchritt = Shadow Step (German)**

* * *

 **Omake #2: Blake's Kitty Traits!**

Blake sighed contently as she flipped through her book, sitting in the peace and quiet of the library while her team was busy, sans Yang who was studying across from her. She enjoyed these moments of peace and quiet away from the hectic life of her team, and when Yang was not as subdued as she was now... especially with her excessive teasing.

There was a line between friendly teasing and perverseness, and sleeping in her bed was definitely the latter, Yang!

''Operation Bumblebee is a go...'' I heard someone murmur, but dismissed it and went back to my book.

She was abruptly drawn from her reading as she saw a red dot on her book, slowly going to the left as her eyes followed it. It went across the table to where Yang was, and I followed the red dot as it went up her arm, along her cheek, down to her chest...

''Uh... Blake?'' Yang's voice drawing me out of my trance, and my eyes darted to hers, dreading the mirth in her eyes ''People might get the wrong idea if you're staring at my chest, not that I mind of course''.

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks and looked away, glaring with all my might at a snickering Eien, holding a laser pointer in his hands. Redirecting my gaze to my book, I began listing all of the ways I could give Eien a long, painful death.


	9. Chapter 9: Unexpected

**A/N: This chapter changes the plotline significantly, hopefully you guys don't eat me for this. I don't taste nice ~(;-;)~.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 9: Unexpected**

* * *

''Its very peaceful'' I commented as myself and my team walked through the streets of Vale towards the docks at Weiss's insistence. True enough to my statement it was peaceful for once, people from all of Remnant walking about, chatting idly. Leaves fell from the nearby trees, grass swayed idly in the breeze, birds squawked in the sky above and Ruby was next to me, skipping happily while whistling a tune. We just made it onto the street by the docks when a blonde Faunus guy sprinted past us, quickly followed by two cops.

''Well there's one of the contestants'' I commented dryly to Weiss.

''After him!'' Weiss cried as she immediately ran after him with surprising speed, considering her heels. After a moment of pause myself and the other three girls ran after her, hearing an 'Oomph' from Weiss and presuming she ran into someone. Sure enough when we turned the corner she and another girl were on the floor, dazed. It only lasted a few seconds before Weiss got up into a crawling position.

''No! He got away...'' Weiss whined, sighing as she got to her feet, completely missing the girl on the ground.

''Weiss?'' I called and she looked at me ''Floor''.

She blinked in confusion, slowly turning back to the person on the ground, then recoiled in surprise ''GAH!''.

''Salutations!'' The unnamed ginger girl said cheerfully, unfazed by Weiss's reaction.

''Um... hello'' Ruby said, giving the girl a slightly odd look.

''Are you okay?'' Yang asked.

''I'm wonderful!'' She replied happily ''Thank you for asking!''.

I shared a look with my team, and Yang spoke for us ''Do you... wanna get up?''.

The ginger girl seemed to ponder this before nodding resolutely, jumping up ''Yes!''.

''My name is Penny! Its a pleasure to meet you!'' Penny greeted cheerfully, despite the blank stare she had in her eyes.

''Hi Penny, I'm Ruby''.

''I'm Weiss''.

''Blake''.

''I'm Eien''.

''Are you sure you didn't hit your head?'' Yang asked before both me and Blake elbowed her in her sides ''Oh! I'm Yang!''.

''Its a pleasure to meet you!'' Penny smiled.

''You... already said that'' Weiss deadpanned.

''So I did!'' Penny realised, her blank stare unwavering. My scroll buzzed during the following silence, showing a request for video chat from Ozpin. In bold red letters it had 'IMPORTANT - PRIVATE', making me frown.

''I'll be back in a minute guys'' I nodded to my team and Penny, walking away from them and into an alley. After scoping the alley out and making sure nobody was present, and nobody on the street was listening, I tapped the 'enter call' button on the screen. Immediately the screen changed, showing a live feed of Ozpin, Qrow and Glynda.

 _''Good afternoon Eien, are you enjoying your time in Vale?''_ Ozpin asked, taking a swig from his mug.

''Not bad'' I shrugged ''Afternoon to you too, Goodwitch, Branwen''.

 _''Hello''_ Glynda nodded sternly, while Qrow gave a murmur of a greeting, too busy with his flask.

''So, what's the reason for this call?'' I asked, finishing the pleasantries and moving straight to business.

 _''Ah yes, straight to the point. The main reason for me calling you is that we may have a lead on Cinder''_ He said and I stiffened, eyes flickering to purple momentarily before I reigned in my power.

''Where?'' I asked calmly.

 _''At the docks tonight, a Schnee Dust Company Freighter will be coming into port at ten o'clock''_ Glynda said _''Ozpin I suggest we send the VPD to assist them-''._

 _''They are competent enough''_ Ozpin retorted smoothly.

''I support that notion'' I added with a faint smirk.

 _''I vote yes!''_ Qrow added.

Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose _''You don't know what you're even voting for, do you?''._

 _''Meh, knowledge is overrated''._

''I'll take my team and investigate, if needed I'll call in _support_ '' I informed, eluding to my AAK-1's and Bullhead.

 _''Very well, one of the other things I wish to speak to you about is your previous mission to Mountain Glenn''_ Ozpin said _''The Duststalker, as you have come to call it, has been popping up **all over Remnant** as of the past few weeks, most seem to be territorial, and more information is coming in about them - I will call a meeting with the others when it comes through''._

''Of course'' I nodded. It was weird being part of the 'Inner Circle' considering they were teachers, but I wasn't objecting.

 _''That is all, goodbye for now''._

''Bye'' I said as all three screens dropped, before I smirked darkly.

''Soon Cinder, I'll tear your soul to shreds... I promise''.

* * *

''So we're staking this place out?'' Yang asked as we snuck into the docks, no sign of Cinder or her minions in sight, only dozens upon dozens of crates. They'd spent the time up until now just hanging around the town, visiting a café for lunch and just relaxing for most of the day. They had run into the monkey Faunus at the Café on their way out, and after striking up a conversation with him he wanted to help out, though I think he may have just been bored. Penny had been with them for most of the day too, but then some soldiers from Atlas picked her up sadly.

''Yes'' I replied patiently. We only had to wait a little more than a minute before the thunderous roars of a Bullhead echoed overhead, followed by two more as three Bullhead's flew into an open area of the docks. Immediately the side doors and loading bay doors open and White Fang members flooded out of the three aircraft, moving to the crates and some cables.

''Looks like Professor Ozpin was right...'' I murmur to myself, but the others obviously heard.

''I wonder _how_ he knew'' Blake mumbled with a frown.

''I'll have to ask him that'' I decided as we waited in the shadows, from the middle Bullhead Roman walked out, shouting at the Faunus terrorists. Blake growled quietly at the sight of the man, probably because of the not-so-subtle insult he threw at the Faunus. I closed my eyes and I felt my thoughts connect to the AAK-1's, seeing four screens in my head as they stomped towards the Bullhead, which was powering up at my mental command. Silently thanking the universe, I got the droids to board the aircraft before launching it towards us.

Out of the second Bullhead came Mercury and Emerald, and out of the final one came a man I didn't recognise, but he had a sword and White Fang mask on his face. A high-ranking member perhaps? I saw Blake widen her eyes to their limits, her jaw hanging low as she let out a strangled noise of surprised fear. I frowned down at her, worried that she had some sort of past with the individual.

''Yang'' I called and the brawler looked at me ''I want you to fight Mercury, and Blake I want you to fight Emerald''.

She snapped her head to me, the silent plea - _oh so desperate plea_ \- in her eyes, but I shook my head at her.

''Ruby, Weiss - I want both of you to take Roman'' I say and got two more nods ''Sun I need you to go up against the White Fang members, because judging from your weapon you'll be good at multiple enemies?''.

''Yeah'' He nodded, his cheeky personality replaced by a serious one.

''Good. I'll take the last guy with the sword, try and incapacitate your opponents if possible. I called in back-up, it should be here in a minute or two'' I say and got to my feet on the roof, ignoring Blake's tense form as she fought the urge to switch targets ''Lets go!''.

With my call we all jumped off, landing on the ground below quietly before taking off in sprints, bolting through the crates towards our targets. We separated into our respective groups as we neared our targets, with mine walking towards the unknown man. I drew Judgement and transformed it into its scythe form just as I broke into the open ground, swinging at the unknown Faunus. He reacted admirably, spinning and drawing his blade, making a loud clang as our blades met.

''Hello there'' I smiled politely, intent on gleaming some info, subtly ''How are you today?''.

The man didn't even pause ''Fine, until you showed up''.

''I'm hurt...'' I mocked as I pulled the trigger, sending a shot into his shoulder and using the recoil to flip backwards, landing my feet on the crate vertically before flipping to the ground again, finishing my taunt.

''...But so are you, as it seems''.

* * *

With all the stealth of a Bullhead Ruby clashed with Roman, who obviously saw her partners approach from a mile away. He grunted as they parted, with me running up behind the younger girl.

''Oh Red! How _lovely_ to see you!'' He said with clenched teeth ''I must ask, do you get a buzz or something from interrupting my business? You and Black seem to do it often''.

 _'Black?'_ I thought, confused before it clicked _'Ah, he must mean Eien - black clothing'._

''And you've brought a new friend! White, lovely to meet you!'' He continued his mocking introduction with an over-the-top half-bow. I rolled my eyes and swapped the Dust in Myrtenaster to fire, whatever Eien had planned in his head would have to wait. He called in back-up, which I presume was those Adamantite Knights he made, that or JNPR, but likely the former.

''So, might I ask why you are here... _again_?'' Roman drawled, his amusement fading and replaced by obvious annoyance.

''Eien sent us to fight you'' I stated and blinked when he paled slightly, tensing up. After the fight against Eien he seemed more wary of the prodigy, and rightfully so given all the training he's put himself through the past few weeks.

''I see'' He said seriously, all traces of amusement now gone as he raised his cane ''Lets get this started then, shall we?''.

Without waiting for our answer he fired his cane, sending a purple-red flare at us. I formed a Glyph under my feet and dashed out of the way while Ruby used her Semblance to avoid the attack. Swiftly I slashed Myrtenaster at the air and sent out a small projectile of fire, exploding at his feet to upset his balance. Ruby easily took advantage of this as she made to slash at his back, but he easily danced out of its path, using his cane to whack away her second strike. I charged in and thrust the rapier forward, but he spun and redirected it with his cane, aiming at my feet and firing.

I grunted as the explosion sent me skidding back, my Aura protecting me from all damage except the blunt trauma. Ruby rushed in and engaged in a flurry of attacks with Roman while I slashed at the air, sending another missile of concentrated fire at Roman. It burned his side and he grunted, once again firing at his feet to clear some distance between us. Immediately he unleashed a hail of fire at us, only a second between each shot as I was forced to keep moving to avoid being hit. A series of bullets past my previous position, courtesy of a White Fang grunt until Sun slammed the shaft of his staff into him, knocking the grunt out and giving me a thumbs up before he proceeded with his job.

I was brought back to reality as I was forced to avoid another flare, using my Glyphs to propel myself towards him, snaking past any flares he fired at me. Ruby had a similar idea, coming from behind him with her Semblance and firing when she got close. He blocked the bullets with his cane, spinning and flipping his cane with extreme skill as he blocked the bullets. I lashed out with my own weapon but he blocked it, and I let out a low grunt when he kicked my stomach, sending me skidding back as I regained the oxygen I lost.

However I was taken by surprise when a flare crashed into me, making me reflexively let out a surprised gasp as I tumbled away. I got up and hissed when my side burned, the heat from the flare leaving minor burns on my side despite my Aura blocking the flare itself. Ruby was sent flying past me, a similar set of minor burns on her front as her back hit the container, groaning.

I hissed at the pain but I got up anyway, Ruby doing the same as we prepared to fight once more.

* * *

With the final punch of the combo I struck Mercury in the stomach, finishing with a roundhouse that sent him tumbling away. He regained his footing mid-flight and skid to a stop, running back at me. Emerald was sent flying past us as Blake continued on her, not letting her have even a second to set up her illusions. I ignored the duo in favour of meeting Mercury halfway, blocking his punch with one hand and striking him in the stomach with my Semblance-enhanced fist. He grunted and his knee came up, striking me in the jaw and making me wince, my pause long enough for him to head-butt me back.

Dazed, I didn't see his fist coming until it struck my jaw, sending me flying back into a crate. My back screamed in protest and my Aura was dwindling as it was, despite my Semblance increasing my attack power it didn't do shit for my defence. However from the looks of things Mercury wasn't doing much better, judging from his slight limp and heavy breathing. The thunderous roar of Bullheads above drew my attention, and I nearly groaned at the sight of four more Bullheads.

However I didn't need to have worried, as out of the clouds above a dozen rockets flew down, striking two of the Bullhead's. The Dust-infused explosives created splashes of acid or flames, burning and melting the metal. With a low groan the Bullhead's engine failed, one of them losing them entirely as they were sent crashing into the ocean. Out of the clouds came Eien's personal Bullhead in all its crimson glory, sticking out like a sore thumb in the night sky. A low whirl was heard before the gun on the front opened fire, unleashing a hail of bullets at the remaining two Bullhead's.

A small explosion erupted as one of the White Fang's Bullhead's engine was struck, followed by the sound of it failing as its balance was offset. Another four missiles were fired, striking the Bullhead and finally bringing it down. The last Bullhead had enough sense to begin pulling out, firing its gun haphazardly as it began to rise into the clouds. Eien's Bullhead fired a volley of rockets at it, striking it several times but not bringing it down as it left the area. The cargo bay hatch opened and from it four of Eien's Knights ran and jumped out.

Like mini-rockets they impacted the ground, creating a small crater from their impact before they collectively split up. One of them sprinted for Mercury like a bullet, and the grey-haired teen responded by cocking a fist back and punching the droids face. He cursed as it didn't even dent the robot, but the robot responded by burying its fist in his stomach, making him double over before a chop to the neck knocked him out. I looked over and found that a similar situation had happened with Emerald, getting knocked out and picked up by the robots.

I grunted as I got up, stumbling over to Blake as she panted, taking less wounds than me but more than enough cuts. Despite that she only spared me a glance before beginning to move to where Eien and the unknown White Fang guy was, breaking out into a sprint as I followed at a limp, the robots moving at a more languid pace beside me.

* * *

I ducked under 'Adam's' strike, the blade passing over me with a whoosh of air accompanying it as I jabbed the blunt end of Judgement into his stomach, making him grunt and hunch slightly. I spun with the intent to slash at his stomach but he evaded backward, slashing with great precision at the bullet I fired. I aimed at my feet and fired, becoming airborne once again, catching a glimpse of my Bullhead firing its rockets at the airships above us, and fired below at Adam. He moved as fast as the incoming bullets, slashing it into two before it reached him.

I was trying to not use my Dunkelheit or Semblance since I was becoming overly reliant on them, but at this rate I would have to...

I grimaced from my wounds. Adam was above Roman's skill level by a mile, at least in that he was ruthless. Cuts and gashes of various sizes littered my body, and yet I was still waiting to witness his Semblance, something I had to be wary of if he hadn't displayed it yet. I fired behind me and rushed down to ground level, smashing Judgement's blunt end into the ground, creating a shockwave and making the ground around him unstable for a second, which was long enough. I twirled and moved with my momentum, twice, thrice and then threw Judgement like a shuriken towards Adam.

He raised his sword from his sheath, catching the blade of Judgement and letting the blunt end hit his back, but held enough kinetic force to make him grunt. I silently activated my Dunkelheit, my vision becoming sharper and senses becoming stronger overall. Before I could use my SchattenSchritt however Adam glowed as his Semblance activated, his mask also taking on a similar glow as he bent his back and put one leg behind the other, his weapon currently sheathed. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, ready to dodge a ranged/lunge attack if required. It had a build-up; that meant it was unlikely it was going to do something simple like increase his combat strength or speed, it would have to be powerful to have a charge time.

And my theory was proven correct when he slashed his blade at the air, and my eyes widened when a nigh-invisible wave raced towards me. Out of reflex more than decision, I raised my arms and created a Sigil to take the blow, more specifically Insho: Chikara. However my eyes widened when the wave _cut through_ my Sigil like it was air...

...and towards me.

* * *

Blake rounded the collections of crates to where Adam and Eien were fighting, but she immediately froze upon seeing Adam in an all-too-familiar stance, glowing with his Semblance. Eien was across from him, cautious but unsure of what was coming.

 _He didn't know..._

I had to warn him, but my voice died as Adam moved, slashing his blade forward and sending the nigh-invisible wave of pure, _wilting_ energy towards Eien. He raised his hands in a flash, summoning a Sigil in front of him.

 _He didn't know!_

The beam cut through his Sigil, wilting the rest away as the beam didn't stop, cleaving through Eien's left arm by the shoulder. Eien had apparently began to use his speed technique 'SchattenSchritt' to move, but the second the bullet-fast beam struck, his momentum stopped immediately without any recoil. His face was frozen in an expression of shock, as if he - _FOR ONCE_ \- didn't expect that to happen. However I couldn't speak, surprise keeping me frozen. Not only because my friend had been mutilated, but because he _wasn't wilting away_. Adam's attack usually spread like a virus, turning everything to dust from the point of contact until nothing remained, that was why his sword was called Wilt.

So why wasn't Eien wilting away? She didn't want him to of course, but it was a shock that stunned me. Time resumed a moment later as Eien's arm hit the ground with a dull thud, and Eien's shock turned into a pained grimace, jaw tense to prevent any sounds coming out. His royal purple eyes flickered, before seemingly becoming brighter as he glared at Adam, his body glowing purple - which definitely wasn't 'Seele Ernten' or his normal Semblance, the colour was off.

''I think play time is over'' Eien grounded out, glare withstanding ''You're strong... but I'm stronger''.

Despite the slightly arrogant remark, it was proven true when a black Sigil appeared ten feet above the duo, nearly stretching the entire size of their battlefield. Gravity immediately crashed down on Adam much harder, making him hunch over as gravity worked against him. However a second gravity Sigil appeared above the first, increasing the gravity again as Adam fell to a crouch while Eien surprisingly remained standing - was he unaffected by the gravity? But wasn't he affected during his spar against Yang? At least to some degree?

Despite the logic displayed previously now out the window, Eien stalked towards Adam. The Bull Faunus could only glare and form a pained snarl at Eien, the gravity pressing on him too much for him to raised his weapon, let alone stand. Eien's form disappeared as he appeared behind Adam, knocking him out with a punch to the head. The second Adam's unconscious form hit the ground, the Sigils collapsed into dust as Eien fell to his knees, using his one remaining hand to hold himself up, reminding me of the critical injury he just suffered.

''Eien!'' I cried as I immediately ran over to him, the rest of my team just entering the open space as they also cried out in panic.

As I reached him he let out a strained smile ''T-Totally fine''.

''You're bleeding dude'' Sun grimaced, eyeing his decapitated and forgotten arm as a memory of the video from before entered my mind.

''Can you regenerate it?'' I asked desperately.

He shook his head slowly ''No... I haven't f-figured out... how to do that... yet''.

The Bullhead, which had previously been circling idly above us, landed not far from us. The Adamantite-Atlas-Knights-1's robotically walked towards it, carrying a criminal each, and entering it. The fourth droid walked past us and picked up Adam under his arms and dragged him towards the Bullhead, standing with its companions inside, motionless.

''Lets go...'' Eien grunted, leaning on Yang and Sun as they supported him, the sounds of Sirens in the distance as we all moved into the Bullhead. Without anyone even sitting in the drivers seat the aircraft took off, the door closing behind us. Eien tore off his coat arm and made a makeshift bandage around his shoulder, stopping the bleeding for the time being as we flew back to Beacon.

''Uh... who's flying this thing?'' Sun asked hesitantly.

''Me'' Eien replied with a grunt, shifting his weight onto the hull instead of Yang ''Mental commands, I cant multitask to the level of where I can fight and control it simultaneously, but I can send it a destination or target and it will follow through, same goes for the droids except their AI can react and act against an opponent without explicit commands''.

''Oh'' Sun said, surprised ''Well, that's cool''.

''Thanks'' Eien smiled wryly then sighed, looking at his arm ''Well, that's annoying''.

''Annoying?!'' Weiss nearly shrieked ''You call losing an arm _annoying_?!''.

Eien blinked ''...Yes?''.

Weiss looked like she was about to slap him, but relented in exchange for pinching the bridge of her nose ''I swear to Oum...''.

''I'll have to find out how to regenerate my arm'' He mumbled before looking at Ruby, who looked between crying and shock ''Ruby?''.

She snapped out of her stunned state ''Y-Yeah?''.

He smiled softly, ruffling her hair affectionately ''Calm down, I'm not dying - and I'll get it back soon enough''.

''But still'' She mumbled, grey eyes concerned greatly.

''It'll be fine'' He smiled, looking at all of us as an assurance, but it did little to help when he lacked one arm. The rest of the trip was spent in silence, glances often thrown at the four criminals that were still unconscious and in the firm grip of the droids. My heart ached at the sight of Adam, someone she both missed and feared at this point. He was her partner, a friend - an overprotective one, but friend none the less. She was afraid of what would happen if they woke up - there wasn't exactly a whole lot of room to fight, and so the only option was to immediately knock them out again. The Bullhead lurched and the rear door opened to show a forest, instead of Beacon.

''Ruby'' Eien called to his partner ''I need you to return to Beacon and fetch my mothers journal, okay?''.

''Okay!'' She smiled, trusting him without even questioning. She ran out of the Bullhead and immediately disappeared with her Semblance. The Aircraft moved slightly forward before lowering down, the ramp only a metre away from the cliff face until we found ourselves once again at a very familiar cave, _INSTEAD OF BEACON!_

''Why are we here?'' I asked urgently. He may not be fatally wounded, but damn it a missing arm is not something you can shrug off!

The Bullhead landed, the engines whistling as they slowed but did not turn off. In unison the four droids carried the four criminals into the cave, standing at the far wall obediently. Eien walked out, his posture off-balanced with the lack of a limb but didn't respond to me, merely leading us out. I spared a glance at my friends, revealing they were just as hesitant as I, but after a moments delay we followed. Eien walked to the far wall and closed his eyes, motionless for a few seconds before the wall he was touching disintegrated to ash, sans a few pillars against the walls that presumably held up the roof.

''What are you doing?'' Weiss asked ''You've got a _missing arm!_ Why are we not going to Beacon?!''.

''Because we've got four criminals in need to high-class detainment, the nearest being all the way over in Atlas'' He said in his casual smooth tone. In a flash the walls, roof and floor became that of Adamantite, with a barred front and barred door to enter and exit, a handprint-key beside it. A low hiss of pain came from Eien as his posture faltered slightly, but he straightened again as he unlocked and entered the cell with a mild stumble, ignoring our words as he pulled out bullets from his coat and, one by one, transformed them into a basic bed for each criminal before he exited the cell... and promptly collapsed, falling to his knees with a pained grimace.

''Eien!'' All of us called as we rushed to his side, an unsettling feeling of dread in my stomach. He was not going into a coma again, or so help me!

''I'm fine...'' He said, but I could pick up the slightest of slurs in his voice. Eien did not slur, so if he was, then his condition was bad. He faced the droids and waved a hand in an almost dismissive manner, but the droids responded by walked over to the open door and placing the four convicts on the beds, not exactly in the most comfortable positions but enough to not be on the ground.

''You are _so_ not fine! We are taking you to Beacon right now!'' Weiss commanded, and Eien gave a slow nod. The four droids exited the cell and closed the gate before one of them placed their hands on the handprint key, making a beep before a locking noise was heard from the door. I bent down and hefted Eien up, mildly surprised by how light he was considering his heavy armaments, and with the help of Sun carried him back towards the Bullhead. Just as we began boarding Ruby came back with journal in hand, panting and worried.

''Here... you go'' She panted, passing Eien the journal and he took it.

''Thanks, Sweet Rose'' He smiled softly as we helped him sit down on the seats, the droids remaining in the cave. As the Bullhead took off at Eien's mental command I sat down, feeling that today had been more than they'd bargained for.

* * *

One visit to the infirmary and an overnight rest later, I was in better health. Mostly - I was still missing my arm after all. I shrugged it off, it was weird and slightly off-balancing but I pushed past it, putting on my trench coat once again I exited my bathroom, finding Ruby once again waiting for me. The rays of the early morning shone through, warming the room with natural light.

''Morning'' I greeted with a smile.

''Morning'' She returned the greeting, immediately hugging me ''Don't scare me like that, ever''.

I chuckled, hugging her back ''I'll try, but no promises''.

She pouted ''Well try harder''.

''I will'' I smiled, giving her a quick kiss before we broke from the embrace ''C'mon, lets go''.

''Mm'' She hummed, skipping next to me as I led the way out of the room. In short order we exited the hospital after signing out, moved across campus and receiving more than a few looks of mild surprise with my lack of arm - and some looks of sympathy, soon we made it to our dorm. It was a weekend thankfully, and with the holidays coming up soon the school had a relaxed air about it. Ruby retrieved her key from her pocket and unlocked the door, leading me in and drawing the attention of Blake - Weiss and Yang not present.

She smiled ''If you keep going into the infirmary then you may as well stay there''.

I placed a hand on my chest in mock-hurt ''I didn't know you disliked my presence Blake, I'm hurt''.

She laughed lightly ''Yang and Weiss are in the library studying, by the way''.

''Yang? Studying?'' I blinked.

''She does study'' Ruby commented, before dryly adding ''Sometimes''.

I chuckled and nodded, but moved over to my bed and fished out my duffel bag, grabbing my wallet and slipping it into my coat pocket despite me not needing to use it often. I also took my mothers journal, which had been put back last night by Ruby, and held onto it as I turned back to Ruby, who just sighed.

''Where are we going?''.

I smiled ''You don't have to come''.

She rolled her eyes ''Last time you lost an arm''.

I just chuckled as I stealthily sent a private message to Ozpin ''Fair point, I intend to head to Vale to buy some Dust to restore my arm''.

Ruby perked up ''Then lets get going!''.

I laughed and nodded, giving a passing goodbye to Blake who returned it.

* * *

The bell on the door dinged as I walked in with Ruby in tow, both of us dressed in our usual clothing - I had my bandana down, for obvious reasons. The old woman at the counter greeted us with a smile, but silently let us search on our own, but present if we needed assistance. I nodded my greeting and searched about, using my list as a way of knowing what to buy. Ruby hummed a song as she followed with a innocent skip in her step, willing to help despite my insistence I didn't need to force her into it.

I picked up one of the canisters from the shelf and moved to the liquid dust pipes, filling the 2000ml canister with liquid Earth Dust. I did same for liquid Water Dust, which looked like a dark blue water. Ruby meanwhile picked up some Earth Dust Crystals, a Fire Dust and an Ice Dust. We both put it on the counter and the woman smiled again, getting out the special cases for the Dust as to protect it (both to prevent injury to us, and injury to other civilians).

''That'll be 200 Lien please'' She smiled and I nodded, taking out the required money and handing it over ''Thank you, good day!''.

''Goodbye-'' I was in the process of saying, before an audible 'click' behind me of a gun made me pause. Judging by the woman's 'oh-no' look it was probably a gun of some calibre, so slowly I turned around, raising an eyebrow at the man in his early thirties with a .44 Dust-Action Revolver pointed at me. His raven hair was messy and his stubble unshaven slightly, giving him a ragged appearance in conjunction with his tight blue shirt and slightly torn cargo pants.

''Dust. Now'' He stated firmly, but I could easily pick up the undertone of hesitation.

''You aren't the only one with a gun'' I stated calmly, turning fully to show Punishment in a low grip, at this distance the shell would hit his chest and explode, but he didn't know the latter part ''My Aura will protect me from every bullet in that gun, but mine are special Aura-piercing ones, so you won't have the same luxury as me''.

A simple lie, but one that will increase his hesitation.

He shifted slightly, the hesitation replaced with desperation ''Please, I need it for my sister!''.

I frowned ''Why would your sister need Dust?''.

''F-For a school project!'' He blurted out, but evidently my expression gave away the fact I knew that was a lie.

''Lying won't get you anywhere'' I stated calmly ''Lower the gun, and I'll lower mine, and your sister won't have to lose a brother''.

He stiffened at my last comment, before his lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded, slowly lowering his gun to his sides. I did the same, but kept it on hand as we continued the conversation ''Now tell me why your sister so desperately needs Dust''.

''I cant'' He said, his response bland and simple, but the emotion behind it told of pain and suffering.

''I assure you, you can tell me without information being leaked'' I calmed him ''I'm Eien, and this is my friend Ruby''.

''Hi!'' Ruby beamed, playing along.

''I'm... Ramirez'' He said hesitantly.

''Well Ramirez, if you can tell me why your sister so desperately needs Dust, I'll be more than happy to purchase them'' I said smoothly ''After all, its likely she has some kind of condition, right?''.

He sighed, his eyes looking far older than they should be ''Yeah... Desmaddico''.

I mentally grimaced. Desmaddico was a fancy word for Dust Deprivation, a condition where a person has had extended contact with Dust for a majority of their life - mainly childhood - and has developed a sort of dependence on it. Some people drink a special solution made from a mix of Dust and various ingredients to hide the vile taste, and to prevent the person being sick. Some require just to be in the proximity of certain Dust types, while other have a terminal form of Desmaddico that will eventually result in death. Desmaddico in general was incurable as it was, the only way people survived was to continue contact with Dust, unless you have terminal Desmaddico.

''What type of Dust, and how much?'' I asked.

''Uncut Ice Crystals, ten of them'' He said quietly and I nodded, looking back at the woman and nodding again. She went under the counter and picked up ten uncut ice crystals before putting them in another box, quietly asking for 40 Lien. I nodded and handed the money across the table, taking the box (balancing it in one hand) and handing it to the man, who gratefully took it.

''I would like to see your sisters condition'' I stated and the man immediately tensed ''I have no intention of bringing harm to her, I am merely wanting to see her condition''.

He eyed us suspiciously, but nodded all the same. I took one of my boxes under my arm while Ruby took the other, taking the liquid Dust in a bag. Without another word Ramirez led us out of the shop like nothing happened, pocketing the revolver as we walked. The trip was mostly in silence, and he only spoke once we got off the main streets, nearing one of the poorer parts of Vale.

''So... what'd you buy?'' He asked, obviously trying to strike up a conversation.

''Just some Dust Crystals and Liquid Dust'' I shrugged nonchalantly ''Using it to repair my arm''.

At his questioning look, I shifted my trench coat so he could see the bandaged stump of where my shoulder was ''Oh...''.

''Mm'' I agreed with a nod, covering it up ''Shouldn't be too difficult, since its just a rudimentary cure''.

''Its not permanent?!'' Ruby demanded from beside me, pouting cutely.

''No, it is'' I lied flawlessly, chuckling ''Its just more complicated than regenerating it, so it'll take a bit of work''.

She sighed ''Don't scare me like that''.

I just chuckled ''I'll try, Sweet Rose''.

* * *

Ramirez's apartment was actually a small cottage not far from the hospital I grew up in, one of the poorer but not poorest parts of Vale. Unlike Atlas, Faunus discrimination wasn't as harsh as here as it was in the northern continent, but it was still cruel. The cottages around this area had large backgardens with high walls, and were considered the nicer parts of the slums, with the aforementioned slums down the road. Large industrial buildings were behind us, casting shadows on some of the cottages depending on where the sun was. Ramirez led us around the side of the cottage, through a grassy alley beside the house and into its backyard.

''Naomi!'' Ramirez called as we entered the backyard. It was just a square of grass, not to big, but a cluster of shrubbery at one end of the garden and a few bushes along the sides of the garden.

A moment after Ramirez called a head popped out of the shrubbery at the other end of the garden. The girl wore what looked like similar to Ruby's hooded cloak, except that it was raven black with a silver lining, the hood coming to a pointed tip. It covered her eyes, barely showing her nose. Her features were young like Ruby, but because of the shrubbery covering her body I couldn't tell the rest of her features. Upon seeing us she tensed, frozen on the stop as her hidden eyes undoubtedly were wide in fear.

''Hello'' I waved, smiling.

''Naomi, this is Eien and Ruby'' Ramirez said slowly as he walked over to the shrubbery, placing down the box of Dust Crystals and opening it, showing the ten ice crystals inside. Naomi gingerly reached out and picked up a crystal before she disappeared into the shrubbery, peeking out again a minute later. She didn't say anything, but just stared at us from behind her hood. Slowly, she walked out of the bushes, showing that she wore a full cloak that was tied by a silver pin just below her chin, making it so when she stood still she looked like a statue but when she moved you caught a glimpse at what as underneath. She walked up to us, stopping a few feet away and spoke, her voice nearly impossible to hear because of its insanely quiet volume.

''Thank you'' She said quietly before the air around her shifted, almost blurring, before she was suddenly back in the bushes, like she had never moved. I blinked in surprise, I had felt a small pulse of Aura from it, so it might be her Semblance... no harm in asking I guess.

''Was that your Semblance?'' I asked, but upon realising she wasn't going to speak again I turned to Ramirez, questioning silently with my eyes.

''Yeah'' He smiled fondly, looking at Naomi who shrank away slightly from the attention ''She never told me what it does, just that she uses it to play''.

''Play?'' I questioned thoughtfully ''Teleportation?''.

He shrugged ''I don't know, you can try asking her, but she's pretty hush-hush about it''.

''If she doesn't want to tell, then its fine'' I smiled before looking at the sun's position, a bit before lunch ''We better get going Ruby, we've got stuff to do''.

''Mm'' She nodded before smiling at Naomi, waving ''Bye Naomi!~''.

A pale, lithe hand came out of the bushes, slowly waving as she mouthed the words 'Goodbye' back. I smiled and waved before politely excusing ourselves from the siblings, with Ramirez giving me his number and me giving mine. We left the duo and made our way back towards the town, it wouldn't hurt to stop for lunch after all.

Neither of us noticed how the house behind us flickered and glitch, a pair of heterochromic eyes watching us from the house.

* * *

''So, how are you going to get your arm back?'' Ruby asked as we walked through the forest, ending in a clearing that was adequate distance from the academy.

''It was in my mothers journal, it seems like she anticipated me losing a limb'' I say dryly ''Either way, it also said it was fairly painful, so I ask that you probably look away and cover your ears''.

''Um... okay'' She nodded, doing exactly as I requested. I sighed at the apparent intense pain that was to come as I unloaded the contents of the bag, and following the instructions I memorised from the journal. I undid the bandages around my stub of an arm and dug the pointed part of the crystal into the tender flesh, hissing as I drew blood, which interestingly was now a burgundy colour. It ran over the crystal and I was surprised when my Dunkelheit activated on its own, without even feeling hate, and the brown crystal became tainted with burgundy, becoming a bruised brown.

Abruptly pain shot up my arm and I clenched my jaw shut to prevent myself from making a sound beyond a pained growl. However I was fascinated by how the burgundy crystal morphed on its own without the need of my Semblance, transforming into ivory bone. The pain left, and I could move the bony stub a bit but I couldn't feel it, probably because there was no nerves. I then repeated the process, using the blood running down the bone and letting it touch the next earth crystal, extending the bone until it reached where my elbow used to be. I grabbed two of the crystals and held them together, letting my blood mould it into the joint.

I must've accidently bought three times as much Dust than I needed, as I had only needed ten crystals for the painful process. Still I moved on, grabbing the Liquid Dust and sighing, this was apparently the most painful part. I had one empty vial left, and I poured half of the Earth Dust and half of the Water Dust. They conflicted at first, refusing to meet, but I just closed the lid and shook it, hearing the soft earthy jingles as it was forcibly mixed by law of momentum. Once I assured it was mixed I bit my lip and clenched my jaw, before pouring the liquid over my blood-covered bone arm.

It was strange, as there was no nerves on the bone, only for my blood to somehow create them when coming into contact with the Liquid Dust. But oh Oum did it hurt, so much that I nearly broke the canister in my hand from clenching too hard, and my other hand was occupied as I had to keep it still while I poured the liquid on it. It felt like my arm was on fire, hell Cinder's attacks were nothing like this!

Still it worked, creating bright, fresh, red skin. The pain was still very evident, but I ignored it in favour of snatching the Ice crystal off the ground and holding it to my blazing skin, sighing as the pain dissolved to nothing more than a strange tingly sensation. Eventually I dropped it, moving onto one of the final steps. I grabbed the fire crystal and gripped it, letting it crack and ignite with heat, and held it to my skin. I hissed at the painful heat, but it did the job of finally setting the skin into its natural radiance and removing the icy sheen it had gained. Once that was done I dropped the now-expired Dust to the ground, sighing.

I flexed my arm, thankful it was working and also curious as to my blood's new colour and apparent properties. Was it because of my Dunkelheit? It must be, but then again I had gained 'Death's' powers that I had yet to even access yet. I'd have to experiment later, but for now, I had to deal with some criminals. I packed away the remaining Dust and slung the carrier bag over my shoulder, walked up to Ruby and tapped her shoulder. She spun around, mouth moving to talk, when I pressed my lips against hers. She let out a cute, surprised squeak before she - very nearly - melted, arms wrapping around my neck to support herself.

We parted, with me bearing a small smirk and her with an embarrassed flush on her cheeks as I spoke ''I got my arm back''.

''Mm'' She hummed, leaning on my shoulder with a wide smile on her face. We stood there in silence, silently enjoying the others presence until I realised we had been here for nearly ten minutes, too busy lost in thought. I sighed and parted from the embrace.

''I need to go see the troublemakers'' I joked lightly ''You go back to Beacon''.

''But...'' She tried to protest, but I silenced her with a finger.

''Shh, its alright, I'll be fine'' I assured, cupping her cheek with my newly regenerated hand ''The winter break might be coming up soon, but we've still got a few more tests to go, and you need to make sure Yang is not just sleeping in the library''.

She giggled slightly ''Okay... be safe, okay?''.

''I will'' I gave her a quick kiss before we fully parted, with me going towards the direction of the rope and her back to Beacon. She disappeared in a burst of rose petals, leaving me alone in the clearing. Or so it seemed.

''Hello Professor'' I greeted, not turning around as Ozpin came out of the shrubbery, signature mug and cane/sword in hand.

''Hello, I believe we have some prisoners to greet, no?'' He said as he discreetly handed me some folders of students' information.

I chuckled ''Yes, yes we do''.

One does not question Ozpin, for he was as mysterious as a person could be.

* * *

Not even five steps inside the cave before a call reached my ears ''Black! How _wonderful_ to see you, don't suppose you could let me stretch my legs?''.

''You'd fall off the cliff, and a damp cave isn't the most interesting environment'' I humoured his taunt.

''Annoying little...'' He grumbled lowly, sitting at the back of the wall. Adam was immediately at the bars, gripping them as he poked his head out between the bars.

''You!'' He snarled and I walked to the bars, just out of his arms reach while Ozpin had stealthily made his way behind a pillar of stone, listening keenly.

''Hello Adam'' I greeted politely ''I would have come earlier, but I've been repairing my arm, so apologies for that''.

''Bastard...'' Adam just growled, not amused in the slightest.

I sighed ''Why are you angry?''.

''Because you caged him like an animal!'' Roman called from the back of the cell, getting a scathing glare from Adam.

''You're in there because you're a criminal Adam, the fact the other three humans are in there with you is proof of that'' I explained patiently ''I have nothing against Faunus, hell I have a Faunus on my team and I'm on good terms with her''.

He, surprisingly, relaxed at that ''I see''.

''Regardless, I wish to speak to you, Adam'' I said calmly, a small smile on my face ''I wish to talk''.

He eyed me suspiciously ''Uh-huh...''.

I walked over to the keypad, activating my Dunkelheit and looking at Emerald ''Don't even think of creating an illusion, I'm more than capable of seeing through them, and you currently are unarmed, and I'm good at hand-to-hand''.

Emerald, from her position on her bed, just sighed and nodded.

I unlocked the door, letting the barred door open and letting the suspicious Adam to walk out before I locked it again. I silently led the older man down to the second floor, where we would have privacy, with Ozpin following from the shadows. I led him down the stone stairs and we sat down at a crimson table, one that I had made only a few days ago.

''So'' I started calmly ''Why do you work for Cinder?''.

''You want information on Cinder'' Adam stated evenly.

''Not my main focus, but a bonus'' I replied calmly ''So...?''.

Adam scrutinized me, before replying slowly ''It was mutual benefit; she supplied the weapons, we supplied the men''.

''But you clearly didn't like the deal'' I stated and he grunted an affirmative ''And why is that?''.

''She's human'' He said rather bluntly, if a tad flatly.

''I'm human'' I raised an eyebrow.

''And I hate you'' He responded, again with a flat undertone.

''But you haven't tried to kill me yet'' I smiled, not mocking but making it seem if I was happy, regardless of the gears in my head turning.

''You have a large advantage of having your weapon'' He stated, flat tone very evident.

''Progress'' I smiled cheerfully, making him twitch mildly in annoyance ''But anyway, one thing I'm wanting to ask...''.

I placed a picture of Blake out in front of him, one that I got from her folder ''... it seems like you two have some history''.

''How do you know about Blake?'' He demanded immediately, looking two seconds from clawing my throat out, his attitude doing a whole one-eighty.

''At ease'' I said, both with authority and gentleness, aiming to mimic how Ozpin handles thing ''She's my teammate, and a really good one''.

''You lay one hand on her...'' He threatened lowly.

''I'm already seeing someone, if that's what you are implying'' I say and he paused, as if not anticipating that ''Either way, she's treated well I assure you, even Weiss Schnee - who is on our team - is on good terms with her, and we are all aware of her Faunus nature''.

''Where is she?'' He demanded again, even if it was obvious demanding didn't really change anything.

''At Beacon'' I said dryly before reverting back to a serious demeanour ''What was your relationship with her anyway?''.

''We were partners'' He answered simply, but there was obviously more to it than that ''Friends, even, before she turned traitor''.

''With all due respect, I believe that a member of the White Fang should be allowed to quit at any time, considering it is a revolutionary group rather than a governing body'' I said smoothly ''Regardless, I believe she left because she only wanted peace, unlike other members who wanted to start a genocide''.

''We _tried_ to gain equality through peace, but that didn't work, now did it?'' He growled, mildly offended it seems.

''How old were you when the new leader stepped up, five years ago?'' I asked innocently, playing the sly card.

''Sixteen'' He stated, unknowingly eluding to the fact he was now twenty-one/twenty-two.

''I believe that you were influenced by the White Fang, as one might be'' I eluded with my statement, entwining my fingers and hiding my smile ''You were at an influential age then, as children and teenagers are the most easy to manipulate. All it takes is a single person to support the leaders decision and others will follow, and soon those who remain will succumb to peer pressure and also join''.

''I don't know why you joined the White Fang, nor do I know your reasons to why you continue to support meaningless violence, but we all choose different things in life, most of which are out of our control'' I said philosophically ''Why do you persist in the violence? I want to know''.

''Its the only way to get equality'' He answered matter-of-factly.

''Well so far its not working, considering since the White Fang went hostile five years ago and since then discrimination against Faunus has become more physical than verbal'' I sighed, making him frown slightly, as if contemplating if I was telling the truth ''Only a year ago I saw kids, kids only at the age of four to six, kicking a downed Faunus and insulting them - they didn't even know why, only that their parents did it''.

Adam growled, no longer looking like he was attack me, but rather attack someone else. Potentially one of those kids.

''Your efforts, while misguided, have been for nought even after many years... can you continue to serve an organisation which is only breeding violence, and only worsening the relations between races? Or do you wish to be like Blake, start a new life and try to make a difference without senseless bloodshed?'' I said as I put the final act of my plan into action. I slid out an _entry form for Beacon Academy_ in front of him, pen attached at the corner, and stood up from the chair while Adam looked at the paper in shock.

''I'll leave you to decide; Solve the worlds problems, or bathe in meaningless bloodshed'' I stated as I walked back towards the stairs, patting his shoulder as I went ''I'll be upstairs''.

I walked passed the stunned Faunus teen, walking up the stone stairs as I went. I paused on the artificial landing, looking to the shadows where Ozpin walked out, mug and all with a small smile on his face, hidden behind his mug.

''You handled that quite well'' He commented idly, sipping his mug.

''The same way you would'' I shrugged, making the man chuckle ''Hopefully he'll accept''.

''And if he doesn't?''.

I looked at him with a deadpan look ''...I have no idea''.

Ozpin just chuckled, amused.

''By the way, I've been meaning to ask...'' I started, quietly ''Is there anything unique about my blood, or a Dunkelheit' users blood in general?''.

''Hm, not that I am aware of, but there may be some information in your mothers journal that I have forgotten'' He stated wisely and I nodded. We idly chatted for a few minutes before Adam came up the stairs, looking mildly surprised to see Ozpin there, and handed the sheet to the headmaster at my gesture. The man scanned over the document calmly before nodding, smiling at the uncertain Adam.

''Welcome to Beacon, Mr. Taurus''.

* * *

After Adam and Ozpin left on my private Bullhead from the bottom floor I headed up the stairs to the cell again, which was near the corner of the room I now realised. Smiling my usual smile I approached the bars, peering inside the naturally-lit cage. Emerald was sprawled over her bed while Mercury was sitting against the wall, Roman nearest the bars and twirling his bowler hat in boredom.

''Roman'' I called and the man looked up at me part-bored, part-curious ''You're next''.

I unlocked the door and the man walked out, scowling and grumbling a curse or two under his breath. After I locked it I was pleased to see that he followed me without trying to escape, though the two online droids may have guaranteed his compliance. We descended the dark stairway and to made our way to the small, but pristine crimson table and sat down in silence, before I spoke that was.

''Why do you work for Cinder?'' I asked right off the bat.

''She paid well at first, but then it was more of a... forced operation'' He answered smoothly and with surprising honesty.

''I see, and what prevents you from just leaving?''.

He gave me an annoyed look, but it was clearly not directed at me ''Uh, hello? She'll put the torch in Torchwick, if you get my drift''.

''Ah'' I nodded in understanding ''So, I want to make a deal with you; I let you go and return to Cinder, and you send me information on all of Cinder's activities, including associates, targets, anything and everything. In exchange when I bring Cinder down I'll pay you monthly, call it an early retirement''.

''I'm barely in my late twenties'' He said dryly ''Retirement is a little early, don't you think?''.

''Fair enough; I'll bust you out of jail when you rob places, and pay you for information at my request'' I shrugged easily ''Or if you're for it, clearing your past crimes and starting a fresh life''.

''Nah, that'd be boring'' He smirked.

''So, what do you say? I'll pay you for information on Cinder, and when she's dealt with you're free to continue your normal business ventures, whilst providing information to me on the side for extra pay'' I smiled. Unlike Adam, who was ultimately a misguided and (Secretly)emotional person, Roman was much more of a businessman than anything else - like Neo in a sense, they both liked money. Speaking of Neo I should probably start manifesting her more oftebn, since I've only did it once or twice recently, she's probably getting annoyed...

''Eh, sure'' He shrugged and we shook hands on it. I gave him my number for my scroll and my secondary email, before the crimson Bullhead from before came and landed back in.

''Get in, it'll take you to downtown Vale and drop you off'' I explained and he sighed, nodding. Before he left I had a droid bring me his cane and gave it back to him, to which he nodded at, and then got in the Bullhead. At my mental command the Bullhead took off, flying towards Vale. I sighed and rubbed my eyes; Emerald and Mercury were next, and they'd be a nightmare to convince, as - if I was correct in my assumption - they were extremely loyal to Cinder. I brought my scroll to bear, sending a quick message to Ozpin requesting his assistance, before lowering it. I had _so much_ to do, it was almost suffocating. I had to build connections, I had to gather information, I had to become stronger, I had _so fucking much to do_. It was almost too much, thinking that if he failed, then he'd bring everyone down with him.

...but what if he let it happen? What if he just ended it, let humanity end? It would certainly end the suffering, since they were no longer alive... but what lay beyond death? Were we merely reincarnated, or even eternal suffering in death? Too many questions, too few answers.

However a sudden thought came to me, and I smirked, opening up my contacts tab on my scroll and finding a certain someone's name. It ringed almost ten times before he picked up, and when he did he looked mildly surprised to see me.

 _''Ah Eien! Good to see you in good health, especially after what happened in the tunnels''_ Devin greeted with a smile, adjusting his glasses to make them glint _''So, is there a particular reason for you calling, or are you merely wanting to chat?''._

''A question actually...'' I smiled widely, possibly wider than I had ever smiled, borderline crazy.

''Do you know how to create life?''.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap. A chicken one with sauce... I'm really hungry now.**

 **But anyway that's episode 15-16 of season one done and dusted. Now the next chapter, and possibly the one after it, will not be part of canon (season 2) as we'll have a little break. I PRESUME in canon during the semester break they had (possibly around 2-4 weeks) it was summer, but in this fic it'll be winter. Why? BECAUSE I LIKE THE SNOW!~ That and it'll be more interesting, since most of the stuff people do in summer can be done on a normal day in Remnant.**

 **Next chapter we'll also see how Adam deals with Beacon, and it will be told from the moment he lands. Things aren't looking too hot for Eien, getting a little depressed and pressured because of the amount of things he has to learn and allies he has to gain so he can match Cinder, plus losing AND recovering an arm. I apologise for delaying the 'Dust-Grimm' thing for a bit, but I can assure you I'm building that up, and I will spoil that it will contribute a fair bit to the story.**

 **Anyone guess what part Naomi will play into this? I can guess several of you already have... actually probably not, I'll give you the first letter; R.**

 **I want to know, have any of you guessed what her Semblance is? I gave an incredibly vague and nearly impossible hint, so its more of a guessing game than anything. PM/Review your answer, I do want to see if you guys guess correctly, and I feed upon your reviews~ I'm pleased that so many of you have enjoyed the story so far, and its a pleasure to write it for such a wonderful audience... there I go on an articulated speech again, apologies.**

 **Till next time.**


	10. Chapter 10: Dust and Souls

**A/N: A bit of fluff in this chapter, possibly classed as a lime depending on how you look at it. Quite a few line breaks in the later part of the chapter.**

 **Also someone asked me in a PM if Eien actually meant anything in a different language, since I've brought in different languages into the story and Eien doesn't seem to be a common name in English. Truth is that Eien means 'Eternity' in Japanese, and eludes to the Eternity Flower, which is what colour he's named after.**

 **Hope you enjoy~ Review and tell me how I did~**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 10: Dust and Souls**

* * *

The crimson Bullhead lurched as we landed, and I took a breath, steeling myself as the cargo bay door opened, letting Professor Ozpin walk out and leaving me to follow him. To be honest I was still at war with myself over this, mainly because I felt like I was betraying the White Fang for this. I had grown up there, my friends and allies were there. I was a respected individual who could inspire confidence in his men, but here I was technically a criminal hiding in plain view and a student, something which I held high disdain for. I understood the reasons for hunters/huntresses, and some of them were quite respectable - like Ozpin - but I had seen many Hunters, both retired and in-service, who were absolute assholes.

Racist Hunters. They thought themselves better than the Faunus, using their admittedly superior power to bully and even sometime... ' _desecrate'_ Faunus, through violence or less than savoury means. But perhaps I could change that, but probably not. Although even if I didn't like it, attending Beacon would have him a relatively decent home aside from his room back at the White Fang HQ, which was rather cramped as he had aged. He hoped to meet Blake again, his old partner. He held no feelings of love for her, those dwindling feelings died long ago, but he did honestly want to befriend her again. If only because she was the only student he knew here.

''Professor'' I stated quietly, eyes darting around us for any pupils... none ''Unless there is something of great importance, can we just go to wherever I'll be staying? I'd rather wait until Eien gets back''.

He raised an eyebrow ''And why would that be?''.

''Because he'll stop his friends from murdering me the moment they see me'' I stated flatly.

''Very well, students are currently studying for their end-of-semester test, so the halls will be quite deserted at this time'' He chuckled and I internally sighed in relief, but nodded. I was very aware that my unique mask would draw attention, so I'd have to take it off - something I hadn't done in a while, sans taking it off periodically to prevent damage to my eyes.

We walked towards the main building with haste, the crimson Bullhead behind us taking off without so much as a pilot or passengers. I hadn't commented on it, since I presumed Eien had something to do with it, and he likely did. As we progressed through the halls we were only given a handful of looks, and that was mostly because of Ozpin and not me thankfully, although granted I did get some looks too. However we made it to my apparently designated room quickly, and thankfully nobody was around to see where it was.

''This shall be you residence for your time here at Beacon'' He stated, gesturing to the large room ''Professor Goodwitch will come by later to drop off your uniform. You are to wear the uniform during school hours, and normally your weapon would stay in a locker, however we'll allow you to keep it here with you as long as you keep it hidden from sight. You have this room to yourself, but do try to keep it tidy, and the dining hall is just down the hall and to the right, any questions?''.

''No'' I stated and he nodded, handing me the keys to the room ''Thank you, Professor''.

''No need'' He smiled behind his mug as he left, before calling out over his shoulder ''It is the end of the semester, so you are not required to attend classes, but I do suggest getting some studying in''.

I grunted back an agreement as he left, closing the door behind him. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, quickly locking the door before reaching up and detaching the mask by its sides. It made an audible click as it detaches, allowing my eyes to get free. I winced slightly at the bright light, but made my way to the bathroom regardless and looking in the mirror. Slightly small-ish dull blood-red ovals were at the top of my sclera, small vertical black slits that went to the middle of my iris being my pupil. My eyes had a black outline too before they met the white sclera of my eyes.

I sighed again, wondering what I'd got myself into.

* * *

The crimson Bullhead touched down as I exited with Ozpin, Mercury and Emerald behind us. It had taken some convincing, especially since they had apparently been saved from the streets by Cinder and technically raised by her. They still weren't entirely on board, possibly because they were less likely to trust someone who trashed them - me - over someone who raised them. However Ozpin managed to where I failed, convincing that even if they went back to Cinder they were likely to get in trouble and receive punishment from her, and even if they didn't they were able to gain more from becoming a student at Beacon. An hour later and here we were, two new students to add to the second phase of my plan.

''I'll take it from here'' Ozpin told me with a nod before leading the two teens towards their dorm, leaving me at the helipad. Shrugging and trusting my headmaster to proceed I followed at a distance before breaking off towards my own dorm, which was a hallway or two away from Adam's. I took out my key and unlocked the door, sliding into the room and finding only Ruby present, currently looking down at a test paper while using on of my Grimm Identification Books that I had on my shelf. She was so into it that she didn't hear me shut the door, or perhaps thought it was someone else or next door. She must've planned for an intense study session, as she had reduced herself to her sleepwear since it was more comfortable.

''Hello, Sweet Rose'' I smiled as I approached, making her look up at me and smile widely before hugging me ''Miss me?''.

''Mm'' She hummed, work forgotten on my bed as we sat down on it, with my back to the wall and her leaning against my shoulder at my side ''How's your arm?''.

''Good'' I smiled sweetly at her ''How've you been?''.

''Good'' She giggled and we fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she shyly asked ''Um... remember back on Mountain Glenn?''.

''Yes...?'' I drawled curiously.

''B-Back in the room...'' She said as she flushed crimson, referencing to our... interesting interaction.

''What about it?'' I smiled with an eyebrow raised.

She flushed deeper and looked away ''...C-Can we do it again?''.

''Of course'' I just chuckled, leaning in to her ear ''Just tell me when you wanna stop, okay?''.

She let out a cute squeak as I lightly bit the sensitive part of her neck, trailing kisses up her neck and ending at her lips. She let out the quietest yet cutest of mewls, allowing me to dart my tongue into her mouth. If the kiss earlier today made her melt, then she practically dissolved in my arms, letting out a pleased but timid moan as she naturally wrapped her arms around my neck. We broke apart for air, her breaths coming in small pants. I chuckled and she blushed, but let out a shivering mewl as I ran a slender finger down her spine.

''A-Ah...'' She mewled cutely, eyes half-lidded.

''Uh... guys?'' A voice called and I paused, looking over my shoulder to see a smirking (And faintly blushing) Yang along with a heavily flushed Blake, who was trying to hide behind Yang in embarrassment.

''Yang?'' We both called in surprise, mine of barely any surprise and calm while Ruby's was more panicked and flustered.

Yang gave us a thumbs up and a massive grin ''Nice work you two, just don't make me an aunt yet, 'kay?''.

''YANG!''.

* * *

It was just after lunch when, at my request, JNPR and (E)RWBY gathered in our dorm. I had been vague with my reasoning, but the truth was to reveal the presence of Adam, Emerald and Mercury. I was, as per usual, sat on my bed with Ruby beside me, JNPR and Weiss standing while Blake and Yang were sat on the formers' bed.

''So what's so important then, Eien?'' Blake asked politely, her eyes looking between me and her book.

''Nothing too much, though some relative news you may want to know'' I said nonchalantly, unintentionally drawing their attention more-so ''Remember Emerald, Mercury and Adam?''.

Blake stiffened at the last one, but it went largely unnoticed. I got a general murmur of agreement from them, so I continued.

''Well they're students here at Beacon now'' I said bluntly with a cheery smile.

...

...

...

''WHAT?!''.

''Mm. Adam's not too bad once you get to know him, but has a bit of a temper'' I continued cheerfully ''Emerald and Mercury aren't as open, but they're just a little uncomfortable''.

''Why are they here?'' Ren asked with a frown, since the others were locked in various forms of shock.

''With Ozpin's help, I invited them to Beacon'' I smiled and Ren nodded, a small sweat-drop forming on the back of his head.

''Why?!'' Weiss barked ''They are our enemies! You even fought them yourself! Not to mentioned they're criminals!''.

I sighed ''Give them a chance, everyone deserves one - Blake used to be in the White Fang, and she got a second chance and look where she is now''.

''I suppose that is true'' Pyrrha nodded and smiled, hesitance in her eyes ''I'm willing to give them a chance''.

''How do you know they won't turn on us?'' Ruby asked quietly with a frown, while I was still mildly surprised Pyrrha accepted it so quickly.

''I doubt Adam will. Emerald and Mercury probably aren't stupid enough to attack a student in the middle of a school of them, so we're good there'' I smiled and they sweat-dropped ''Lets give them a chance''.

Ruby sighed ''I'll give them a chance''.

I smiled ''Alright''.

* * *

''Professor?'' I called as I leaned in the student-ridden classroom. The green haired coffee addict was sat at his desk, for once not flying all over the place, and sitting marking papers with rapid but crisp flicks of the wrist. Upon hearing me call his name he paused, looking up in mild surprise at my appearance. Then again I doubted many if any students came to a teachers classroom without being requested.

''Yes? What brings you to my classroom, Mr. Haizen?'' He asked, apparently informed of my last name, and also seeing fit to use it in private. Interesting.

''I was wondering, since you are a professor and Doctor, if you could give me some advice on a project I am working on'' I asked as I walked in the room.

''Of course!'' The man said pleasantly, zipping up to a standing position in the blink of an eye ''What do you need help with, young man?''.

''Well its a project that I started earlier today. I'm attempting to, for lack of better word, create life with a combination of my Semblance and Dunkelheit abilities'' I informed and he hummed, interested ''I believe that it may be possible to create a sort of sentient being with the addition of my Dunkelheit. The main property of this being however will be tied to my own soul, in that it will remain within mine and can be summoned like I already can with Neo''.

''I see'' He nodded ''Well have you made any progress so far?''.

''Physically no, as I am wanting to run through the process to understand how it will work before attempting it. I am creating a living being, something that has only met half-results in the past, but I believe the additions that Dunkelheit has given me may lead to me being able to create it'' I explained and he nodded ''Logically with my soul to contain its, it will not be as unstable as earlier projects''.

''Interesting, truly interesting! So how do you intend to do it?'' He asked avidly, adjusting his glasses.

''That's the main issue; I don't know'' I drawled flatly with a sigh ''The problem is that considering they will dwell within my soul and can be manifested physically, it must also contain a soul - which I have _zero_ idea about, and to my knowledge very few if any people on Remnant have any details about a soul in a tangible sense, only in a metaphorical and spiritual sense''.

''Yes the concept of a soul has been around for many years, but nobody has yet to be able to interact with it beyond Semblance and Aura'' Oobleck nodded ''You possess the ability to interact with a person's soul from what I've gathered and the skill you have displayed when waking the Maiden Amber. How did you do that, was there any physical interactions with her soul or merely a mental connection?''.

''I would presume it would be mental, as I saw a representation of it within my mind. Most souls, if not all, are small spheres that float in the darkness which I have dubbed the void, as the shell that is the 'skin' of the soul protects it, and if it fully wilts away then the person's soul dies off, as I have previously seen. Each person has a different colour to it. Yours is green, while Amber's was orange''.

He hummed as he sped behind his desk, scribbling things down in a flash ''Interesting! What are the limits of this ability?''.

I shrugged faintly ''I can kill a person by implanting a shard of my own soul within theirs, I can heal them and as I've seen I can revive them from a coma with relatively bad consequences, unless that was exclusive to Maidens. With the assistance of my Dunkelheit I can revive someone without much consequence aside from Aura Depletion, although I presume they cannot have the head severed or their bodies mutilated beyond belief, though the heart is in the grey area. Any potential attacks with it are mostly ineffective, as it requires intense concentration to and that is difficult in the middle of combat''.

''I see'' He nodded ''So you wish to create a soul with no prior knowledge on how to?''.

''Yep'' I drawled in dry amusement before it clicked ''Actually someone might know, but they're kinda... hard to reach''.

''Ah'' He nodded, almost as if he knew that ''I suggest you find a way to contact them then, they may be of help to you, as I am afraid with the limited information you've given me I cannot see any current solutions, my apologies!''.

''Thank you, Doctor'' I nodded in respect as I headed for the door.

''No problem at all young man! Please do inform me of your progress on the matter! Good day!'' He said rapidly as he zoomed back to his seat, hand moving at a million miles an hour.

* * *

I looked down at the Dust Crystals I had gathered after making a quick stop at Vale. I was intent on creating a soul, but Devin had eluded that he knew someone who had achieved something similar and was trying to set something up, so I'd wait on that project, but for now I wanted to test the properties of my blood. I was in the forest and had not asked Weiss to come help, as it may have some negative effects that could have an area of effect.

I went for the Fire Dust first, picking it up and depositing it in the centre of the clearing and bringing Judgement up to my wrist and cutting it, letting a small flow of blood run down onto the Crystal now present on the lush grass below. The burgundy-coloured liquid ran down the Crystal, causing it to glow faintly as the red aura it emitted slowly turned a more dark red, almost the same colour as my blood, before it continued past that on the colour spectrum and became a dark burgundy, almost blackish. The remained of my blood seeped into the crystal, making me raise an eyebrow, before it stilled as the process was complete.

I picked up the crystal, only to drop it with a hiss of pain as my fingers burned. My eyes widened as I inspected my fingers, how the flesh had already been burned, almost burned away completely with a hot black tar stuck to them, which thankfully dripped off like molten magma, but still stung like hellfire. I just clenched my jaw and waited as my Aura healed the wound with relative ease, if it did take a moment or two. Once I was sure my fingertips were repaired and clean of the molten tar I looked down at the crystal, which I now noted was actually more black than burgundy, meaning I had misjudged it. Interesting.

I kneeled down and grabbed a stick, prodding the crystal with it. Like before a black tar stuck to it, as if an invisible layer of flaming-hot tar was stuck to it. The stick caught fire, to my mild surprise, and I dropped it just as the whole thing was engulfed in _black_ flames. They roared like an Ursa as they blew in the breeze lazily, and even after the stick was reduced to ash they continued to burn.

''Inextinguishable flames?'' I hummed with a curious look as the flames didn't stop burning. So lost in thought I didn't know someone entering the clearing until a twig snapped behind me, making me look behind me to see Glynda Goodwitch.

''Hello'' I greeted with a nod, which she returned.

''What are you doing?'' She said sternly, but curiosity evident.

''Mixing my blood with Dust'' I explained, not questioning her sudden appearance ''It appears that when mixed with Fire Dust the crystal becomes coated in a magma-like tar that sticks and burns, and from what I am seeing as it burns for a while''.

''Interesting'' She hummed as she stood beside me. I moved to the next crystal, an earth one, and did the same as before, careful to leave it on the ground. Unlike before when it turned to bone, it became a dark, sickly brown. I moved to pick it up, and was silently thankful when it did not have any harmful effects. I idly wondered what it did, if it turned into a tree or whatever, when it did exactly that. I dropped the crystal and it embedded itself in the ground as it grew into a small fern tree, which coincidentally was the one I had in mind.

''It acts like my Semblance'' I noted to myself ''I thought of a fern tree while thinking about it, and it grew into one''.

''So it has some form of nature-based growth ability?'' She asked rhetorically as the tree grew to a full height of eight feet ''Earth Dust can be manufacture to do that, but that takes time, precision and lots of work to do, so your blood is quite unique''.

''I guessed that'' I chuckled as I went to the water crystal. Once again I re-cut my finger and let my blood drip onto it in a small but steady stream onto the dark blue crystal. Immediately it turned a pretty crimson, a bit more murky than the Adamantite but still crimson. Once my blood fully seeped into the Dust crystal I picked it up and shook it, nothing. I squeezed it, nothing. Frowning at the lack of anything, I decided to see if it worked in the same/similar fashion as to the Earth Crystal. I imagined in my head a large broadsword, and to my mild surprise it worked.

The crystal glowed faintly before a liquidised blood flowed out of the tip of it, before congealing into a solid, crimson sword. It hovered in the air above us and as it did the crystal lost some of its light, presumably from creating the weapon. I grabbed the sword by the hilt and lowered it into both hands, the crystal now on the floor at my feet. It wasn't too heavy, about as heavy as Ruby's Crescent Rose, and was fairly solid, although was slightly see-through.

''Blood'' I realised belatedly ''I mixed blood with water, so it made a watery blood. Huh''.

''What did you expect?'' Glynda asked with a raised eyebrow.

''No idea'' I shrugged and moved onto the next crystal while she spectated/supervised. The black flames were still burning, the fern tree was still present and I had placed the crimson sword on the ground next to the next crystal, ice. Once again I repeated the process of cutting myself and letting my blood flow onto the light blue crystal as it became a shiny onyx black in seconds. Slowly the ground beneath it begun to freeze into black ice, spreading slowly and carefully, until that is when I kicked it into the black flames. The two crystals fought for dominance, and ended up putting each other out, leaving two 'empty' Dust crystals, which were nothing more than a dull grey gem. Odd.

Moving onto the next crystal in my test was an lightning one, which was rather expensive because of the process of making it. 50 Lien per crystal, compared to the relatively cheap 8~ Lien per Ice Crystal. I was about to cut my finger again when I started noting the feeling of being a little dizzy, and from the pale look of my skin it was possible it was blood loss. I sighed even as I felt darkness creep into my vision, sending me to unconsciousness in a matter of seconds.

* * *

When I woke up again, I found myself back on the grassy hill of my soul. I blinked several times before getting up, feeling a little confused on why I was here when I had not been able to return during my sleep. A soft swoosh behind me alerts me, I turned on my heel to find Death once again standing there, same as before.

''Hello'' I greeted amicably.

 **''Greetings once again Eien Haizen''** He chuckled hollowly **''You seem surprised to be here''.**

I shrugged faintly ''I haven't been able to get here when sleeping, so I am mildly surprised''.

 **''That's because you didn't try and come here''** He informed while waggling a finger.

''Oh'' I said plainly ''So, any reason I'm here? Aside from blood loss''.

 **''That was me that pulled you here, because you seem to be troubled by your lack of knowledge in creating a soul without a woman giving birth''** He explained and I perked up **''So I have brought a... _friend_ who will be able to teach you''.**

From beside Death a small swirl of white tinted with gold appeared before a small flash of light momentarily blinded me. When my vision returned I was greeted by the sight of a beautiful woman in her early thirties with long golden-blonde hair that was tied into a braid over her left shoulder, large sapphire eyes and fair skin with soft features. She stood taller than Death by a few inches and wore a long yellow dress with a streak of white down the middle, ending at her feet which had elegant gold shoes. Upon seeing me she smiled.

 _''Hello child''_ She greeted, her voice almost like a chime, unlike Death's which was hollow and gravelly.

''Hello'' I nodded, raising an eyebrow ''Taking a guess; Are you the manifested embodiment of Life?''.

She laughed, a soft and melodic sound _''Yes, I am. What gave the game away?''._

''Perhaps that you are the _direct_ opposite of Death?'' I chuckled. It was true, the two of them were nearly opposites.

 **''That _is_ a big giveaway''** Death chuckled hollowly and Life sighed, nodding.

''So, you're going to teach me to... create life?'' I drawled in mild confusion and awe. Disregarding the awe I felt with talking to the embodiments of the universe that is.

 _''Mm''_ She hummed cheerfully _''I am curious to see what you will do with it, and Death here have already invested some time into you along with the power that has yet to be activated''._

''Oh yeah'' I remembered as I turned my gaze on Death ''How _do_ I activate it?''.

Despite his face being hidden, I got the impression Death was smirking **''And where would the fun be in telling you that?''.**

I sighed, rolling my eyes ''Fine...''.

 _''Anyway''_ Life smiled, getting the conversation back on track _''Let us begin, so prepare yourself for a lot of learning, young one''._

I nodded, smiling at the elder woman ''Mm''.

* * *

''Do you two, by chance, have access to Water Dust?'' I asked.

''Mm'' Life hummed, a small flash in her hand before a single dark blue Dust Crystal. She handed me it and I smiled, cutting my finger by biting it and letting my blood run over it, transforming it into 'Blood Dust', my own personal make.

''I've just had the best idea ever''.

* * *

''Neo~''.

Said girl paused in her attempt at exploring the world for the millionth time and looked over her shoulder at Eien. She was mildly surprised to see him here, but at the same time didn't really care. He'd been letting her out every few days recently, and it was nice, but it ultimately meant when she got back here it was as boring as hell.

Upon turning she took note of his grin and slightly dishevelled state. Not normal.

''Yeah?'' She said hesitantly, unnerved by the prideful grin on his face.

''I need you to spar with a friend of mine, 'kay?'' He said, his speech _slightly_ slurred and I noticed he looked about ready to nod off.

''...sure?'' She said uncertainly. He nodded thankfully before quite literally falling on his face, unconscious within unconsciousness. She sighed and went towards in the direction she sensed the nearest Aura signature, accompanied by two others; one familiar and one different, the familiar one being Death. She trudged over the hills, for once getting annoyed at her footwear, and upon reaching the top of the hill - which was a semi-flat area - and found the two new Aura signatures. The first was a woman in her early thirties with long golden-blonde hair that was tied into a braid over her left shoulder, large sapphire eyes and fair skin with soft features. She stood taller than Death by a few inches and wore a long yellow dress with a streak of white down the middle, ending at her feet which had elegant gold shoes.

The second was a girl in her early teens, probably around fourteen, with long chocolate brown hair that went to his waist, falling down over both shoulders. Honey brown eyes, slightly pale almost doll-like complexion with ruby red lipstick. She had a small flat top-hat on the top of her head, at a slight angle that would normally make the hat fall off, but apparently not. She had a gothic Lolita look to her, like Ruby Rose. She had a crimson frilly long-sleeved blouse with the part over her chest black and spreading to the wrist-length sleeves. She also wore a slightly puffy crimson pleated tiered skirt, the crimson only interrupted by black frills on them. Black tights were underneath, covering her doll-coloured legs with black 'school shoes'.

I approached, and the golden-blonde haired woman smiled at me ''Hello, is your name Neo?''.

I nodded silently, hoping to keep quiet and not expose my childish voice again.

''Well since Young Eien has been tired out from his training and creationism, he wanted me to take over'' She smiled in an angelic manner ''Neo, this is Eleanor. Eleanor this is Neopolitan, or Neo for short''.

The doll girl, Eleanor, did a curtsy bow, lifting her skirt elegantly ''Nice to meet you''.

''Nice to meet you too'' I spoke, deciding that anyone in this world - Eien's _soul_ \- would not spread information about her high-pitched voice, especially since her voice was quite soft, quiet and in a monotone. Perhaps after talking to Eien and occasionally other people so often she's gotten more used to talking ''So... what did Eien want me to do?''.

''To help train Eleanor here'' The unknown, but motherly woman smiled.

''Train?'' I repeated, confused.

''Hai'' Eleanor confirmed with a strange-sounding, but agreeing word ''Father wishes me to train and become strong''.

''Father?'' I blurted out, surprised.

''He is my creator, and he doesn't mind me calling him Father'' She droned with a blank face.

''Okay...?'' I drawled in a confused tone before getting back on topic ''So, what're we gonna do?''.

The woman smiled ''Fight''.

I blinked.

Then sighed.

''Alright''.

* * *

Eien's eyes fluttered open once again as he internally groaned at the sight of the white ceiling of the infirmary. Funnily enough Ruby was once again lying on his chest from her seat, a small trail of drool coming from her mouth as she mumbled incoherently with a dopy smile on her face. I smiled and gently poked her cheek, waking the groggy Ruby up. She blinked several times with half-lidded eyes, uttering a 'huh?' before she beamed.

''Eien!'' She cheered happily as she hugged me as much as possible, making me chuckle.

''I feel like this will become a habit'' I joked lightly, gaining an equally light punch to the chest.

''What've I told you about scaring me?'' She whined/scolded.

I shrugged ''Sorry, a mix of blood loss and Death himself knocking me out to talk to me''.

She blinked, then sighed ''Fine. You feel okay now?''.

''Mm. How long have I been out?''.

''Only a few hours'' She smiled, giggling nervously ''I may~ have fallen asleep though, revision does that to you''.

I chuckled as I sat up, cupping her cheek and giving her a gentle kiss which she returned with a gentle smile. We broke off as I got out of bed, still clad in my gear and relatively clean so I didn't bother using the adjoining shower. Ruby grabbed her textbook and held it under her arm as we left, almost banging into Miss Goodwitch.

''Sorry about that'' I apologised.

''No need'' She dismissed politely ''On another note the crystals you used earlier were destroyed for safety reasons, I hope you understand''.

 _So others won't get their hands on them_ was the silent message that she didn't say. I nodded thankfully to her and continued down the hall giving a polite goodbye as I led Ruby out of the hospital, signing out on the way.

''I've made an... interesting discovery, Ruby'' I smiled at her as we walked down the halls, making sure to keep my voice low ''My blood, since unlocking my Dunkelheit, has appeared to gain unique qualities when interacted with Dust. For example Fire Dust makes black flames that last even after the target has burned to ash, water turns to a congealing blood, ice turns to black ice that spreads. Not only that, but I've also accomplished another little project I had intended to spend a while on, but with the assistance of some 'external' forces, I have now completed it, at least the first part''.

''What'd you do?'' Ruby asked as she semi-skipped beside me. We made it into the courtyard and I led her to a secluded area before activating my Dunkelheit, drawing on my power like I did with Neo but focused on Eleanor. I felt a light 'click' in my mind as an image of Eleanor sitting under a tree appeared, face blank as she watched a butterfly fly by.

 _'Eleanor?'_ I said, using the 'Telepathy' that Life showed me to use when I needed to speak to someone within my own soul. The doll-like girl perked up as my voice reached hers.

 _''Yes father?''_ Her soft monotone rang out in my head.

 _'Are you available to be summoned into the physical world?'_ I asked and I saw her eyes glimmer with excitement - the only true part of her that shows emotion in her current state. She nodded and I smiled, feeling her presence partially separate from my soul and extend to the Sigil a few feet in front of me. It was a strange, almost incomprehensible grey colour that also looked equal parts white and black. Eleanor rose up from the Sigil as a solid black figure, as if she was covered in tar, and when she fully emerged the substance slid off her like water, disappearing into the Sigil before said Sigil vanished.

Eleanor looked around blankly before her eyes landed on me and Ruby ''Greetings, Father, Mother''.

''M-Mother?!'' Ruby blurted in surprise, an embarrassedly confused flush on her cheeks.

''Hai. Father created me, so his 'partner' is Mother'' Eleanor said with a touch of a flat undertone.

''Created you?'' Ruby repeated, confused. Thankfully Eleanor didn't take this the wrong way. I had designed her after all.

''I created her soul, and naturally it is joined onto mine. That's what I did while I was unconscious'' I chuckled as Eleanor looked around, watching birds fly with childish curiosity in her eyes as she retained her blank face ''Eleanor, meet Ruby. Ruby, meet Eleanor''.

''Hello'' Ruby smiled, now more cheerful.

''Hello'' She repeated back with a nod before tilting her head as she looked around ''Is this the place you called 'Beacon'?''.

''Yep'' Ruby smiled ''Do you want to look around?''.

Eleanor grew the tiniest of smiles ''Very much''.

* * *

As Ruby had previously offered we took Eleanor around the school, showing off several main positions while quietly explaining things to her. During the process of making her I only added things such as her personality, her look, her reactions and opinions, essentially everything that would be known by an average student. However she had never been to any of the places a normal person has, and even though she _knows_ like how to eat, she doesn't have the muscle memory to perform certain actions such as eating - which led them to the situation of sitting in the dining hall for a late dinner.

''So this is chicken?'' Eleanor asked as she poked the chicken with her fort before bringing it to her mouth and eating it, swallowing and then saying ''Its alright''.

''Mm'' I agreed with her as I picked at my own chicken and rice. I was sat near the edge of the table with Ruby on the end seat and Eleanor to my left. I caught sight of Adam as he hesitantly walked into the room in his uniform, without his mask on and revealing his ruby eyes. He saw us and I waved him over and he nodded, getting his own tray of food before sitting across from me with a nod.

''Hello'' He greeted quietly, eyes shifting to Ruby and Eleanor.

''Hey'' I smiled.

''Hi!'' Ruby smiled in greeting with her regular amount of enthusiasm.

''Greetings'' Eleanor said in her usual monotone with a nod ''I am Eleanor''.

''Adam Taurus'' Adam replied as Amber walked up to our table and sat down, as she had been doing while also occasionally sitting with CFVY - which was nice to see the cautious Maiden make some more friends. She hesitantly sat in the corner seat next to Adam, smiling hesitantly and introducing herself while Adam once again gave his name. We ate in silence for a few minutes before WBY came in and Adam flinched, and WBY flinched. They got their dinner and sat down at the table on our side awkwardly, the silence just as awkward.

I sighed ''Can I foresee this resolving without an argument or fight?''.

''Potentially'' Eleanor responded blandly, monotone and blank face withstanding.

''If Eien thinks he can be trusted, then I'm willing to trust him'' Ruby smiled, unknowingly starting the conversation up again.

''Eh, I don't mind him'' Yang shrugged with her usual grin.

Weiss huffed, looking at Adam with common distrust ''Well... I'll give him a chance''.

Blake was quiet, but let out a silent nod as she tried to not look at Adam. Eleanor also gave a silent nod, probably because her mouth was full at the moment, and Amber gave a sort of 'I don't mind, nor understand' shrug. Adam looked between feeling awkward and relieved, but he finally responded with a small smile and a nod. We polished off our dinner before we collectively left the dining hall, although Adam and Blake left the group without anyone besides myself and Eleanor noticing, the latter because she followed my gaze from behind me.

While it was a weekday and still technically a school day, curfew was off and classes were few and far between to allow students to study for the final exams before the semester ended and the winter holidays came. Most students did so, although ERWBY and JNPR were slacking a tiny bit, although that could be passed off for the fact they were the best of the best of their year - though they tried not to flaunt that, both because it was embarrassing and a bit cocky to do so, even if it was true. I had yet to be defeated, what with my Sigil's, Judgement, Punishment and my Dunkelheit. Not to mention I had yet to even reveal _that_ , but I intended to reveal it soon so they could help me train with it better.

''Hey, how about we go to Vale, have some fun?'' Yang suggested with a grin, looking at the group as she sent a message to Blake.

''What are you on about? Its eight already!'' Weiss scolded.

''Yeah so? That's when all the fun things start!'' Yang grinned.

''I believe she is suggesting bars, night clubs and the sort'' I added.

''I know what she means'' Weiss grumbled.

''It might be a good break from everything'' I smiled innocently.

Yang gave me a flat look ''You mean from you going into a coma - multiple times, studying, training and basically dealing with normal Beacon stuff?''.

''Exactly!'' I beamed as I pulled Eleanor in front of me ''Besides we could show Eleanor around too''.

''Eleanor?'' Weiss blinked at the doll-girl, who blinked back ''Oh right, we haven't been introduced. I'm Weiss Schnee''.

''Eleanor'' She nodded to Weiss, blank face retaining.

''And I'm Yang~'' Yang grinned at Eleanor ''Yang Xiao Long''.

Eleanor nodded again ''Greetings''.

Amber smiled, speaking up ''Its like another Eien''.

''Technically, yes'' I chuckled, making the other girls - sans Eleanor and Ruby - pause.

''What?'' They all said in confused unison.

''He is my father after all, as Ruby is my Mother'' Eleanor added, gesturing faintly to a sheepish Ruby.

''What'' They all droned flatly, no question mark required.

''I created her soul, and it is attached to mine'' I added with a smile ''Technically she _is_ a daughter of a sorts, since she was born from my power, but she also just likes to call me father''.

They all blinked, before sighing ''Only you would do such a thing''.

''Yup!'' I beamed at them as Eleanor didn't even twitch from people talking about her ''So, are we going to Vale or not?''.

* * *

An awkward silence lay over us as we stood on the rooftops overlooking Beacon, hiding us from any unwanted ears. The bitter wind blew past us but was ignored as I stared anywhere but Adam, and he did the same with me. How was I supposed to talk to someone who I betrayed years ago, and now would be attended the same school as me for the next four years. However I _needed_ to get this done, as it would be better now than later.

''So...'' He drawled awkwardly, uncertain.

''Yeah...'' I replied quietly ''Its... nice to see you again?''.

''Same...'' He nodded with a sigh, turning to look over the courtyard ''Look... I was wrong, I guess, about the direction the White Fang has taken over the past few years. So I plan on doing what you are; trying to do it _peacefully_ ''.

She blinked ''Is that why you're here?''.

He shrugged ''Eien gave me the choice, and he implied the best way to do it peacefully would to become a Hunter''.

''Oh'' I said, smiling slightly ''Well its nice to see you again''.

He smiled ''And its nice to see you too Blake. Now lets get off the roof, its getting cold up here''.

I laughed lightly ''Sure''.

* * *

The doors to Juniors Nightclub opened as Yang walked us in, grinning as she did so. Myself, Ruby, Eleanor, Weiss, Blake, Nora, Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha behind her. Adam didn't want to come, nor did Emerald or Mercury - the latter two because they claimed Junior knew them, and they were trying to stay of the radar for a while until Cinder gave up on them. Amber also didn't come, although that was because she had plans with Team CFVY and didn't want to break it off with them, so she stayed with them.

''B-Blondie!'' The man behind the bar, which Yang had told him was Junior, very nearly squeaked.

''Yo!'' Yang grinned even as armed men began to enclose on our position. Junior himself walked to the front of them hesitantly, eyeing us like we were a pack of Beowolves.

''What do you and your friends want blondie?'' He said, trying to sound as gruff as possible.

''Eh, just what one would do at an establishment such as this'' She said haughtily, subtly mocking the way I spoke and I twitched.

Junior blinked, confused and I said dryly ''She's imitating the way I speak articulately''.

''Oh'' He said flatly before giving a slight shrug ''If you're paying, then fine, just don't bust up _anything_ ''.

''Oh don't worry about them'' Yang grinned at his paled face. Junior sighed in relief as he dismissed his men, making his way back to the bar and serving a few customers, most of who were already wasted. I shrugged and went to the bar, taking a seat with the others.

''So, what're you having?'' Junior asked idly, looking at the ten of us. Apparently he didn't give one that we were technically underage, though given the fact that Yang had pointed out that Hunters/Huntresses and their student counterparts were allowed to drink alcoholic beverages on grounds of their obviously shortened lifespans. It was fair, and truthfully this was only his second time in a bar, the first being a crappy rundown one near the edge of Vale that was owned by one of the lads he saved from the caravan years ago.

''Cyser Mead!~'' Nora grinned, being the first to pick and with vigour.

''Eh, just the strongest Vodka you have'' Yang grinned ''I'd like to get hammered, if its all the same to you my good sir''.

I twitched again. Was it so bad I spoke like that? And I didn't add 'sir' to the end of my sentences.

''Red Sherry'' Blake stated politely.

''Sake'' Ren nodded towards the bottle behind Junior.

''White Wine please'' Weiss stated politely.

''Um... whiskey!'' Jaune blurted out uncomfortably.

''Any specific kind?'' Junior grunted, probably having to deal with this a lot.

''Uh, just something not too bad''.

Junior nodded, looking at me, Pyrrha, Eleanor and Ruby.

''Um... I'll have White Wine too please'' Pyrrha asked shyly, almost as if she was admitting a guilty pleasure.

I spotted a drink on the wall behind him, something I had tried and found a liking to ''Crème de Menthe please''.

Eleanor was next, surprising me by gesturing to one of the drinks behind him ''A Rosé, please''.

Ruby shuffled uncomfortably, unsure and probably never having drank before ''Uh...''.

''A Rosé with a dash of strawberry for her as well'' I smiled and Junior grunted as he set off to gather our drinks.

Ruby looked at me in mild confusion ''What's Rosé with a dash of strawberry?''.

''It tastes like strawberries'' I informed and she made an 'ah' sound ''First time drinking?''.

''Yep'' She nodded with a hesitant smile ''You?''.

''Second'' I shrugged, looking at the others ''What about you guys?''.

''Meh, lost count'' Yang shrugged.

''Fourth'' Pyrrha smiled hesitantly.

''Second!'' Nora cheered over the loud music.

''Fifteenth'' Ren added casually, surprising several of us.

''First...'' Jaune sighed after a pause, looking slightly sheepish about it. Eleanor nodded with him, given she had only been created mere hours ago.

''Second...'' Weiss said quietly.

''Seventh'' Blake shrugged indifferently.

Junior returned a moment later, fluidly sliding our drinks onto the top as we all gave a varied thanks. I took a sip of my elegant drink in a styled wine glass, sighing in delight at the minty flavour the drink had from its ingredients. Eleanor took a drink of her drink and her eyes widened a fraction, before a tiny ( _very_ tiny) smile grew on her face as she elegantly but eagerly took another sip. Ruby was of similar mind, but with hers having a surprisingly fresh strawberry on the side and therefore dulling the alcohol _slightly._ The others also enjoyed their drinks, their Aura dulling the effects of the alcohol unless we had three or more of them, then they would probably begin to take effect on our bodies - not factoring in natural tolerance that is.

In the back of his mind, he realised that perhaps things would go south quite quickly.

* * *

Five drinks passed and things had changed quite rapidly.

Yang and Blake were now dancing, the latter of which was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol while Yang remained mostly coherent. Nora was... pretty much the same, if a tad more touchy with Ren, who remained almost completely sober, the only giveaway being the more relaxed look he had on his face. Pyrrha was giggling a lot more and Jaune was, for lack of better word, hammered. He was the happy drunk it seemed, as he was giggling along with Pyrrha as they danced also, although he had been more than capable of giving a cocky drunk a scathing glare when he tried to hit on Pyrrha with less-than-enticing promises of sex. Weiss remained as dignified as she could be, although her posture was more slouched and relaxed, no longer worried about keeping appearances in her state of mind.

Eleanor wasn't too bad, occasionally giving a hiccup or two but otherwise fully coherent. Ruby on the other hand was just as hammered as Jaune, giggling as she clung to me, something between a flirty drunk and a happy drunk. I on the other hand found that I had an astonishing alcohol tolerance, and for that I was thankful - I felt like I was going to be the one to bring us back to Beacon via my Bullhead, and I needed to be coherent if I was going to do so. As it was, only he, Eleanor, Ruby and Weiss were present at the bar, with their friends having moved to the dancefloor. The only reason they had not gone was simple; Weiss and Ruby were too drunk, Eleanor didn't wish to dance, and I?

I preferred to calmly sip at my minty drink.

* * *

By the tenth drink I decided it had gone far enough.

When Yang Xiao Long was beginning to slur and even I was beginning to get a mild rush from the alcohol, then one knew it was time to go. Ruby was surprisingly still conscious, although was very dopy as like a puppy, hugging me and giggling. Ren was probably the best off besides himself, as the stoic teen was only slurring a tiny bit. Jaune had passed out shortly after his eighth glass, Nora was just hyper while Pyrrha was giggly. Weiss had also passed out while Blake was very... affectionate towards the slurring Yang, acting very much like a cat would. Eleanor had disappeared into a Sigil after her ninth glass, saying she was feeling funny - not to mention my Aura (which had kept her summoned) was beginning to lower a fair bit, probably dipping to around 30%~ if he could guess.

I sighed as I paid the tab for all of us, forking out 500 Lien to Junior ''Thanks for the drinks''.

''No problem'' He shrugged with a smile as he folded the money away ''Just don't get killed on the way back, I don't want any cops here by morning''.

''Alright, see ya'' I nodded as I picked up Ruby and gently slung her arm over my shoulder so that I was half-dragging her while I got Weiss on the opposite arm. Not caring for my low reserves of Aura I created a Sigil at my feet and summoned Neo when nobody was looking, she looked both surprised and annoyed at me not giving her any forewarning, and I gave an apologetic smile for my forgetfulness. At my command Pyrrha picked up Jaune in a loose grip, Yang got Blake in a very... implying hold and Ren helped Nora and stopped her from running around the place. I gave Weiss to Neo, who took the taller girl with an annoyed grunt and as a single mind we left the bar, all leaving as I mentally called for my Bullhead to come land somewhere near us.

* * *

When we got back to our dorm I was mildly surprised by the time; one in the morning. He hadn't guessed it was that late, he'd guess it was only about eleven. Neo hefted and practically dumped Weiss onto her bed before disappearing into a Sigil, both because my Aura was now considerably low and she herself was tired. Yang took Blake and, instead of putting the Faunus ninja in her own bed, put her in Yang's own bed as she collapsed in bed with her, unconscious. I sighed as I locked the door and placed Ruby down on a bed, tucking in Yang and Blake along with correcting Weiss's position and putting her in bed.

I moved to my own bed, in which I accidently placed Ruby in, and just shrugged it off and lay next to her, tucking both of us in and dozing off.

* * *

As per my natural internal clock I woke up early, or rather I woke up earlier than the others given that the digital clock read ten o'clock in the morning. I internally sighed, keeping quiet as I smiled at Ruby's sleeping form next to me, snuggling against me. My hangover wasn't as bad as my original one, but it was still painful and the lighting was needlessly bright. I internally sighed again as I debated whether I wanted to get up or not, considering it was quite comfortable here under the blankets and there wasn't much he could do about a hangover aside from drinking some carbonated water.

Still I shifted out of the blankets slyly as I moved out of them, moving down to the dining hall while repressing my hangover. I was still dressed in my combat gear from yesterday, so nobody gave me an odd look sans the cooks when I asked for carbonated water. Regardless I got my water and took them back to my room with nine glasses in tow. I went back into my dorm and placed a single glass down on each of my teammates desk, with Ruby's on my desk, and moved to JNPR's dorm just as Ren opened it.

''Here'' I said, handing a slightly groggy Ren the glasses ''Should help a little''.

''Thanks'' He smiled as he went back into his dorm and I mine. I sat next to Ruby's bed and woke her up by shaking her shoulder slightly. She groaned as she got up, turning over to look at me in confusion, said confusion dissolving into a sleepy smile. She made to sit up, but groaned and grasped her head as she presumably felt the effects of the hangover.

I smiled at her and handed her the water ''Here, it'll help a little bit''.

She took the water and eagerly gulped it down ''Thanks...''.

I smiled and ruffled her hair as she tried to adjust to the hangover ''You'll probably have to deal with that for a bit, possibly the whole day, depending on when your Aura fully clears the effects''.

''Mm'' She drowsily hummed while I went through the routine of waking up the rest of my team, firstly Yang and Blake.

I shook Yang's shoulder, getting her up quite easily ''Hm?''.

''Hangover. Carbonated Water'' I stated bluntly with a small smile as I handed Yang her glass, which she gulped down in seconds, sighing in content. I pointed down with a smirk and Yang followed my gaze, surprisingly blushing upon seeing a sleeping Blake next to her.

''What happened?'' She demanded in an embarrassed whisper.

I chuckled quietly ''Don't worry, you didn't do anything''.

Yang sighed ''Thank Oum''.

''I'd make a 'don't make Ruby an aunt' joke, but you know... doesn't work in this situation'' I smiled slyly, gesturing between the two as Yang gave me an embarrassed glare.

''You're enjoying this aren't you?''.

''Absolutely'' I smirked as I shook Blake's shoulder, Yang turning over and pretending to be asleep. Blake groaned like the others as she got up, sitting in bed with one hand on her head and one supporting her from behind. She looked at me in mild confusion, which dawned into understanding as she took the bubbly water and calmly gulped it down.

''Thank you'' She smiled as she put it on the desk, before pausing as she looked to her left and her face twisted into shock as her eyes darted to me ''What happened?''.

I chuckled ''Nothing did, you both went cold the moment you hit the bed''.

She sighed ''Thank Oum''.

''Don't worry, Operation Bumblebee with go into action _very_ soon'' I smiled innocently, clapping silently as she looked at me in confusion.

''What's that mean?''.

''Oh you'll find out'' I chuckled evilly as she blinked, before shrugging as she got out of bed and made her way to the shower, picking up her clothes on the way there. I went to Weiss's bed and gently shook the heiress awake, to which - like the others - she responded with a groan as she woke up. I handed her the water and she took it, gulping it down and grumbling about a headache. All I could do was give a sympathetic smile as I took the bathroom after Blake and got prepared for the day, my first destination in mind.

* * *

The door to Doctor Oobleck's classroom once again opened as I poked my head inside in a polite manner, finding and catching the eye of the professor himself. He had desired to know my progress on 'Soul Creation' and I would be delighted to inform him of such, as well as discuss my unique blood properties that affect Dust greatly. He was probably one of my favourite teachers as he was very knowledgeable, next to Miss Goodwitch and Ozpin.

''Ah Eien! Wonderful to see you again, any progress on your project?'' He asked rapidly, still going through the workload from yesterday. Must be a real pain.

''I have, actually'' I smiled as I entered the room ''While I intend to progress with it, I have made an artificial soul with the help of my friend''.

At their request, I was going to keep quiet about Death and Life's existence, at least their manifested existence opposed to the concept.

''Incredible!'' He exclaimed eagerly, zipping in front of me at a speed I _almost_ couldn't see... in fact how _did_ I see him move? Eh, I'll figure it out later ''And what are the results of the project?''.

I smiled as I tapped my thoughts to Eleanor's _'Are you available, Eleanor?'._

 _''Of course, Father''_ Her soft voice replied. I drew upon my power as my Dunkelheit activated, my hand moving to my side as I generated the strange Sigil. Oobleck watched in fascination as Eleanor rose from the Sigil as a solid black form, before said black tar slid off her like water as her eyes fluttered open.

''Greetings'' Eleanor politely stated, doing a curtsy bow while lifting the sides of her skirt up slightly in an elegant manner ''I am Eleanor''.

''Hello, I am Doctor-Professor Bartholomew Oobleck'' Oobleck introduced himself as he turned his gaze back to me ''So you did indeed succeed in creating a sentient being! Incredible! Truly incredible! How did you perform the process of creating an artificial soul?''.

Eleanor for her part found the wall of information behind the teacher more interesting, and thankfully Oobleck didn't take it the wrong way, instead using it to converse without feeling like he was offending her. She was simple like that; she didn't care what others thought, but knew when she should pretend to look the other way.

''Well for the most part its indescribable, as you sort of just go along with what instinct tells you to. My friend mostly guided me through the process, but the way I did it since I didn't have the same... _power_ as hers, I had to use one of the abilities of my Dunkelheit, named Seele Ernten'' I explained as best I could, it truly was indescribable ''I let the 'vines' of Seele Ernten tap into the earth and it would draw upon the energy of life itself to fuel myself with enough Aura to form it into a soul. It was mostly just sitting in one place while staying completely still and thinking about how you mould the soul''.

Well, Life herself actually personally fuelled me since I couldn't use Seele Ernten within my own soul, otherwise I'd kill myself because I was technically draining the power from myself before I could absorb it. When I said I would drain energy from the ground around me and therefore life itself, I wasn't lying; I would drain Life's (the persons) Aura, but because she was a god (in a sense anyway) and had _godly_ amounts of Aura, it didn't affect her much. Yang Puns.

Even as my mental monologue went on, I was talking ''I've also discovered that my blood has the unique property to change Dust in a sense, empowering it to a frankly ridiculous degree. Fire Dust emits a sticky, magma-like tar and ignites into black flames that burn for a long while, Ice turns into Black Ice which spreads on its own, Earth Dust has nature-based properties, etc.''.

''Interesting!'' Oobleck said as he zoomed around his desk, gathering up notes ''Do you have the time for a live test of this new phenomenon?''.

''Sure'' I chuckled as Oobleck collected up some papers before zooming out the door, leaving me to follow with Eleanor obediently following him out the classroom.

None of us noticed a pair of pink and blue eyes watching from the shadows.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap. Have I said that already? Oh... sorry.**

 **But we've seen a small extend of what Eien's Aura can do along with him creating a sort of minion-summon thing. I want to point this out for now just for clarification, as I subtly hinted at it but probably badly worded it; Every five minutes Eleanor is summoned it costs around 2% of his total Aura, and while she has her own supply of Aura if she runs out he can either refill it at the cost of his own Aura, or de-summon her. Either next chapter or the chapter after that we'll have a winter chapter or two.**


	11. Chapter 11: Monochrome Snow

**A/N: For those wondering when I'll move onto season 2, you'll have to wait for another 1-5 chapters, as these are 'non-canon' chapters and I hope you guys don't mind. I say that because some people like it better when the author sticks to the main story, while others like it when the author adds in unique chapters that aren't in canon.**

 **A question to all reviewers and PM'ers - in future, would you like to see a lemon scene between Ruby and Eien? If so what type: An implication of it before cutting to another scene, a detailed lemon, or no lemon at all? You decide!**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 11: Monochrome Snow**

* * *

It had been two weeks since he and Doctor Oobleck tested his new-found ability with Dust, and overall they were pleased and inspired by the new possibilities it invoked. After a few days of testing they had found out the limits of the Dust Crystals upon coming into contact with my blood, and not only that but his Aura affected them too! It had been so exciting that Ruby and Yang were forced to drag me back to my dorm to sleep, and coincidentally repeated my sleep deprivation from not too long ago, although this time it was cured by Ruby hugging me and staying in my bed, blushing but refusing to let me go, resulting in us both falling asleep.

But for the past few days now they had been plagued with end-of-term exams, thankfully only written ones at the moment. Personally he, Weiss and Blake didn't have too much trouble, gaining 92%, 95% and 90% respectively on their overall exams, while Yang got 80% and Ruby 87%. Jaune had gotten 75%, Pyrrha had - as one could expect - gotten 100% on her test, Ren had gotten 92% like me and Nora had gotten 83%, barely surpassing Yang.

However now that the multitude of written exams were now over, we were onto the physical ones, which were spars between students. It sounded simple, and it relatively was, but got a little complicated at times. There were two types of scoring; Team score, which contributed to how high your team would rank, and Individual score, which determined your personal ranking amongst your year and your % on the test. Team score was more to choose who would be in the Vytal Festival Tournament opposed to actual % on the test, while personal did matter.

I sighed as watched Jaune's fight against Weiss came to a close, finishing with Weiss at 72% while Jaune was just below the base amount at 9%. It was near the end of the singles matches, and my final match was against Adam, funnily enough. Ozpin drafted his Team in, although made it clear to the students they were being evaluated and were not an official team yet. They had made a relatively... _okay_ reputation so far. Adam busted up Cardin after the latter not only insulted Adam himself, but did so while pushing Velvet to the ground and insulting her. Emerald had teamed up with Yang and had a surprisingly good friendship with the blonde, both of them dedicating themselves to _pranking_ Beacon students/staff during their free time. Mercury on the other hand was just quiet, not shy but not finding a reason to talk, just acting cool in the background.

''Eien vs Adam Taurus!'' Glynda broke me from my muse as I got up, moving down the seats to the stage and smiling friendlily at Adam, showing what happened didn't matter outside the battle, which he clearly understood via a nod he gave. We both entered the arena, the barrier flickered to life around us, I unslung Judgement and fell into stance.

''Three!''.

''Two!''.

''One!''.

''Begin!'' Glynda barked and I shot behind me, taking off towards him. As per Ozpin's rule, he was not to use his Semblance because of its guaranteed lethal properties, and I was on the same boat funnily enough.

He raised Wilt and blocked my strike, the odd angle I used with my scythe leaving me to his right. I spun fluidly and twirled it over my shoulder, firing at my feet just as he swung at me, missing me as I went airborne. As per my usual tactic I shot again and allowed momentum to stick me to the ceiling before summoning a black gravity Sigil, muttering the summoning words under my breath. Gravity intensified as I was propelled towards Adam, who was taken off-guard by the sudden gravity and allowed me to land a solid kick to the chest and slash to his collar, using him as a springboard as my Sigil deactivated.

 _Adam: 88% / Eien: 95%_

I raised an eyebrow at him as I landed ''You're tougher than you look''.

He smirked faintly ''I've been told''.

I shot at my feet again, this time spinning Judgement on one hand. Just as gravity began to pull me down I threw Judgement like a flail, crashing where Adam once stood, the redhead now standing to the left. I landed on the ground and he charged me, blade within his sheath as he prepared to draw it in the Iaijutsu form of combat. Just as he got close enough I drew Punishment and aimed it loosely at his torso, firing an explosive round at close-range, exploding on his chest and sending him skidding back. I took advantage of his momentary recovery and shot off towards him in a burst of natural speed, preparing to use my teleporting technique in a moment.

Just as he recovered and prepared to attack I teleported behind him, Judgement behind me so my blade caught his from over his shoulder. I fired a shot and the recoil forced his own blade at him, his own strength and Aura the only thing stopping it from cutting him. I knocked his feet out from under him and as he fell I fired another shot of Punishment, knocking him back as I regained my breath.

 _Adam: 60% / Eien: 85%_

I panted as I reloaded Judgement and Punishment ''Damn, you are _really_ tough''.

He just grunted ''And you pack a punch''.

I chuckled ''Try Yang on for size then when she's angry, its like fighting a Goliath barehanded''.

''HEY!'' Yang shouted from the crowd, making both me and Adam chuckle quietly before falling back into combat stances, serious once more. He charged me and I waited for him, raising Judgement and blocking his bullet-speed blade with the shaft. I twirled it over my shoulders and hit the blunt end into the side of his ribs, but got a slash to the shoulder to pay for it. My knee came up and hit him in the stomach, but he barrelled through it and smashed the hilt into my face, making me grunt as my nose broke. Aura would repair it after a few minutes, possibly an hour at most but it still hurt.

 _Adam: 48% / Eien: 62%_

We broke off, only for me to use SchattenSchritt to teleport behind him, but he spun around and blocked my attack. He took advantage of my surprise and head-butted me, but I managed to kick his leg out from under him, making him off balance and allowing Judgement to pass a gash over his shoulder. He surprised me again as he placed his hands on the ground and spun, knocking my own feet out from under me. More out of reflex than anything I placed my hands on the ground and back-flipped away before falling back into stance, panting.

 _Adam: 38% / Eien: 50%_

I transformed Judgement into sniper form and aimed, firing a shot which struck his side. He grunted, but blocked my second shot by cutting the bullet in half. He charged me and I jumped, firing and using the recoil to clear more distance between us. I transformed Judgement and also charged, waiting until we got close before I rolled out of his swing, fired Judgement at his leg, extended a hand and created a Sigil all in the span of a few seconds.

''Insho: Chikara'' I called as the Sigil glowed, sending an intense pulse of force at him, knocking him off his feet.

 _Adam: 22% / Eien: 44%_

I charged him again just as he got up, barely able to block my strike as I knocked him off his feet, Wilt and Blush knocked away from him while I held the blade of Judgement to his neck.

 _Adam: 16% / Eien: 40%_

''Yield'' I panted in unison with him. Adam grunted and nodded, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

''Winner: Eien!'' Glynda barked and I sighed, sheathing Judgement and hefting Adam up, his larger weight almost pulling me down on him. I returned to my seat with a tired sigh as Adam went back to his, the next match being Cardin and Nora.

Everyone knew how that would turn out.

I was making my way to my seat when I caught something with my eyes, making me pause in stunned confusion. In the corner of the room stood Naomi, who for all reasons should not be in the school, and held a small smile under her hood. She turned slightly, apparently now focusing directly on me as she made a 'follow-me' gesture. I blinked owlishly and obeyed, passing an easy lie to my team I needed to use the bathroom, which they didn't question. I entered the hallway outside the main arena and found Naomi at the end of the hall, smiling before disappearing down the hall. I followed with a slightly annoyed tick, given that I was slightly tired from my fight.

After following her down a dozen or so halls and across the open ground of the academy, I finally found myself at the highest roof of the academy, the skies grey with a forecast of snow. In the centre of the rooftop was Naomi, allowing me to see her whole form. Like before she was dressed in a black robe that hid her whole body down to her feet with a silver lining, everything above her nose hidden in the shadows of her hood.

''What are you doing here, Naomi?'' I asked with a mild frown when I noticed her companion. The other girl, standing at equal height to Naomi, was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and a pink hoodie with a white heart over where her real one would be. She also had a pink skirt, striped white and pink tights and a pair of elegant pink shoes like Eleanor. Her most surprising features were that of her face; soft and childish, probably only around twelve to thirteen, with pink hair tied into a ponytail behind her and her bangs cupping her face, the ponytail going down just to her neck. Her eyes were by far the strangest; her left being a turquoise blue, while the right was a hot pink. Evidently she liked pink.

Surprisingly the unknown girl giggled, speaking in a young but eager tone ''We came to visit you, Eien-kun''.

I blinked ''Uh... my name's Eien, not Eien-kun''.

''Its an honorific'' She sighed dryly ''I thought you learnt the old language of Japanese?''.

''Only the symbols'' I said plainly and she sighed again.

''Damn... oh well'' She shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow at her ''So... why are you here? More to the point _who_ are you?''.

She giggled, nudging Naomi who just looked away shyly.

''I'm here 'cause I was curious about your power, then I went and checked with ol' Death and Life and they confirmed you were 'The One' they kept on talking about'' She said casually and I blinked owlishly ''You've got quite a large amount of support from the gods you know, since you're one of the few humans who naturally have a lot in their favour; Dunkelheit, Semblance, Large Aura, Intelligence, etc. etc.''.

''You know Death and Life?'' I asked, still stunned.

''Yup!'' She exclaimed cheerfully, holding a finger up with a cheery smile ''After all, I'm just like them~''.

''You're a god'' I stated before looking at Naomi ''And perhaps is she also a god, or a lieutenant of sorts?''.

Pink grinned ''Yup~ Intro time~!''.

She looked at Naomi, who shyly took a step forward and pulled her hood down, revealing an equally young face with raven-black hair tied into two ponytails, one on each side of her head that went to her chin. Her eyes were a deep blue like the sea, but held shy nervousness in them.

''I-I'm not called Naomi...'' She said, her voice soft in both volume and sound ''My true name... is Era''.

''And I'm Reality!'' The pink-head proclaimed proudly ''We're both gods-in-disguise, and its worked so far''.

I blinked, then sighed ''Of course you guys are... I presume Reality is the god of, well, reality?''.

''Yeah...'' Reality nodded sheepishly.

''And considering your name...'' I pondered while looking at Era, who was standing shyly waiting for me to guess ''...Perhaps... God of Time?''.

''Bingo!~'' Reality cheered with a grin, voice high pitched ''She's Era, god of time while I'm Reality, god of reality''.

I blinked slowly ''So why are you two kids?''.

''Because its more fun'' Reality shrugged and Era nodded ''Plus its easier to hide on Remnant if we're kids, since people pity kids and anyone who tries anything will find we're more than simple kids''.

Deciding to probe, I asked ''So how old are you exactly?''.

They shrugged in unison while Reality spoke ''Eh, probably a few thousand years, who knows? All I know is gods like us have been around since the beginning of existence, so there ya go''.

''Are there any other gods beside you guys, Life and Death?'' I asked curiously - Life and Death hadn't exactly told me about it.

''A few'' Era whispered quietly ''Destiny and Fate are two, they're nice''.

''So there's a world of gods beyond Remnant?'' I asked with a raised eyebrow and they nodded, making me quirk both eyebrows at them ''So why are you hiding here, and not there?''.

''Because 'there' is _so boring~_ '' Reality groaned ''Its not fun at all, nothing interesting happens, ever. But here on Remnant there's lots to do''.

I nodded ''I can understand. Wait... if you're the god of Reality, does that mean you can effectively 'remove' things from existence?''.

Reality quirked a brow at me ''Yeah...?''.

''Then couldn't you get rid of the Grimm?'' I asked and she nodded, to my surprise.

''I can, but I won't do it'' She said, smiling sombrely ''I remember hearing you say once 'Why are the Grimm angry at us?'. The reason the Grimm exist is to help humanity survive''.

I frowned at her, even as snow began to gently fall around us ''Grimm kill us, not help us''.

''But if Grimm never existed, then you would never have found Dust, never have made Hunters, never have accomplished many of the feats known today'' She pointed out rather sharply ''And if I got rid of them now, then what do you think will happen? Humanity's greatest threat is now gone, all that is left is the other humans on the planet. At some point someone would screw up and lead to a war between the kingdoms, leading to destruction of humanity in the endgame. I know the Grimm may not be the best solution, but at the time its all we had, and we cant very well just remove them and replace them with something else, since our existence is supposed to _stay hidden_ to a degree''.

I smiled sheepishly ''My team can keep a secret''.

She sighed ''Yeah, Yeah''.

''But could you have at least made them... less vicious?'' I asked with a frown.

''No, we couldn't. If we made it so the Grimm never killed anyone, or even never harmed a human, then sooner or later people would realise this, and then they'd take advantage of it. Sure the Grimm would be scary, but people would probably just ignore them if they knew they didn't kill'' She sighed, looking into the distance ''Grimm exist for the sole reason of making sure Humanity stays in line, and even then its evident its not working at times. People are slowly disregarding Grimm, they see them as a threat, yes, but they are more worried about their fellow man than the monsters of the night. The Great War was a perfect show of this... humans are strange creatures, but always have a moment of arrogance, which will one day lead to their doom''.

We stood in silence for all of a minute before I asked ''So, why are you here, besides just to find me?''.

''Well we heard that there's a three-man team you yourself formed consisting of some ex-criminals, so we're joining it''.

I blinked slowly ''What''.

She smirked ''Lets go visit Ozpin, shall we?''.

Reality strolled past me, cheerful while Era followed quietly, shyly.

I sighed.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

* * *

The door to Ozpin's elevator dinged as it opened, and Ozpin himself raised his gaze from his scroll and raised an eyebrow at me. I simply sighed dramatically as Reality and Era walked (Reality; skipped) up to Ozpin's desk as I followed behind.

''May I ask what you are doing in my office?'' Ozpin asked cordially.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, gesturing to the duo ''They dragged me along''.

''And who might 'they' be?'' Ozpin asked, now directing his attention to the two odd-coloured girls.

''I'm Reality'' Reality stated dramatically.

''...Era'' Era said quietly.

''We've never met before'' Reality started ''But~ We'd like to enroll in your school, the current three-man team in particular''.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow ''You are implying you wish to become a student of Beacon in the middle of the year, without any proof of your abilities or past?''.

I gave Era a dry look ''I take it Reality isn't one for subtlety?''.

Era gave a smile and soft laugh while Reality looked at me, eye twitching in annoyance. Before I could blink suddenly snow fell on me in a tidy pile, reaching my shoulders, I blinked as Reality snickered evilly while Era smiled shyly.

''That's what you get'' Reality said smugly as she turned to Ozpin ''Okay, let me say it bluntly; I'm Reality, the God of Reality''.

''I'm Era... God of Time'' Reality whispered quietly, an embarrassed blush coming to her face. Ozpin himself blinked, once, twice, thrice, before looking at me.

''Can you confirm this?''.

I gave him a rather dry look ''I don't remember snow magically appearing when I was present in your office, so I'm inclined to believe her''.

''Yup! I can control everything in existence, sans fellow gods or their subjugations, and create or remove things from said existence'' She said before her smile fell, forming into a serious look as Era also became serious ''My power allows me to change Reality, and Era gave me permission for my power to affect her, changing our original looks into what we look like now. We're undercover to kill a woman who _should not_ be alive by this point, one who plans to destroy all human life on the planet''.

''Cinder?'' I questioned with a frown.

''She's just a pawn, funnily enough'' Reality said nonchalantly, making both me and Ozpin freeze in shock. Ozpin recovered however, face falling into a frown as he said one word with such disdain and anger it was worrying, but even more-so when I saw the age-old fury in his eyes.

''Salem...''.

* * *

After ten minutes of explanations and questionings, I was free to go with Reality and Era in tow. He'd do the paperwork later, but for now the two children were now officially part of Adam's team, which would soon be called AREME(Army). The duo behind me were quite different in terms of personality; Reality was cheery, open, blunt and overall a less perverted Yang. On the other hand Era was quiet, shy, closed-off and much like Blake, if a bit quieter than the Faunus ninja.

The plan was that their powers would be classified as their Semblances, which wasn't too far a stretch from their true power apparently. Their Aura was _massive,_ far higher than I could ever hope to reach, but they themselves could easily cloak the detection of their large reserves from the machinery that judges them. They would essentially just be under the guise of prodigies from a distant village that one of Ozpin's old friends were in. The village was destroyed and these two killed a dozen Deathstalkers, Nevermore and even several Goliath, which would prove their power. They would also be aged at 15 but with a childish body, because people may begin to question Ozpin's judgement by letting two thirteen-year-old looking girls into his school.

I also learnt some things via questioning the two childish gods. One of these things being that Death and Life could not naturally manifest on Remnant, because of the potential that they could affect the balance of the world. Their mere presence would either kill everyone nearby in Death's case or grow everything nearby and make everyone age in Life's case. Both of them were essentially the two strongest of the gods in a sense aside from 'The Creator' which is what most people on Remnant deem as 'Monty Oum'.

Destiny and Fate were apparently had a sort of sisterly relationship with Reality and Era, despite all of them existing since the creation of the universe. Both of their names represented their main aspect of power, much like the other gods. Fate's power mainly revolved around what was going to happen to someone, in that she could 'fate' something to happen to a person. Destiny on the other hand held a similar power, but it was more investing; her power usually took a while to take affect, and therefore she usually 'destined' things to happen down the road by a couple years, but overall the effects were _far_ more powerful than Fate's. The only things the Gods could not affect with their respective powers were other gods, Maidens and Demi-Gods.

Ozpin, Reality and Era were rather secretive about Salem's existence, not wanting to fill me in yet. All they told me was that she was an evil demi-god that was intent on destroying Remnant or something along those lines. She was Cinder's superior and someone who had some level of control over the Grimm, so considering she apparently was also invincible against time (And therefore a part of Era's powers) and therefore ageless it was quite concerning.

Either way I dismissed those thoughts as we entered the dining hall, swooping up my late lunch, since the exams had ended at three in the afternoon the lunch period was now three. Thankfully no more classes though. I walked over to my table, JNPR (E)RWBY with Adam, Mercury and Emerald along with them. I sat next to Ruby on the end seat, Era and Reality sitting next to Adam's right, across from me.

''Who'd you find this time?'' Yang said with a mock-sigh and teasing grin, but did eye the two kids with curiosity ''And kids. Really?''.

''Hey I remember you!'' Ruby said, pointing at Era, but her mouth was full so nobody heard her. She swallowed what was in her mouth before repeating the sentence, getting curious looks from everyone ''Naomi!''.

'Naomi' looked away, a shy blush on her cheeks as she whispered ''Actually my name's Era...''.

Ruby blinked ''Eh?''.

''Its complicated'' I sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder ''Guys, these are Era and Reality, two new students Professor Ozpin drafted in, same age as me and Ruby despite their appearance... and the new members to the soon-to-be five man team of AREME(Army) featuring Adam, Emerald and Mercury''.

Everyone at our table stared.

''Hey, its what Ozpin said'' I twitched.

Yang was the first to speak ''Nice names''.

Reality smiled ''Thanks''

''What about Ramirez?'' Ruby asked Era quietly.

Era shook her head, the lie rolling off her tongue ''He's moved with relatives over in Vacuo since I'll be here''.

''That's nice'' Ruby smiled and Era nodded. Lunch passed at a rather languid pace, with Reality sparking off an instant friendship with Yang after she - to our annoyance - also greatly enjoyed puns.

Insert horrible series of puns.

* * *

Even after everything that's happened recently, from getting criminals onto our side, training like mad and meeting the gods of Remnant - I'm pretty sure I should be more bothered by that - I still found time to relax. Said time at the moment was spent sitting in the back of the library, sitting next to Ruby as she went through magazines on weapon-related things while I was reading one about Dust and very detailed information about it, some information which I hadn't found previously outside of Beacon. The silence was companionable, interrupted only by the sounds of pages turning.

''What about this one?'' Ruby asked as she showed me a page in her magazine, showing a broadsword that fired a 40mm grenade from the back of the hilt.

''Hm... not bad, but the low magazine would mean it would be better for a last resort, _and_ you would have to leave yourself wide open when using it'' I gave my opinion and she hummed, nodding.

''Yeah... it is pretty bad... but still kinda cool'' She said, whispering the last part making me chuckle.

''You think every weapon is cool''.

''Yup'' She giggled. Once again we fell into silence, however it only lasted two minutes before something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I blinked in surprise at the sight of snow falling outside the window. I poked Ruby's cheek and pointed to the window, directing her gaze as she caught sight of the snow, grinning as her eyes gleamed.

''Its _snowing!~_ '' She squealed, but immediately was reprimanded with a dozen 'SHUSH!' that came from all around the library. However it also unintentionally alerted everyone to the windows also, provoking a collective murmur around the room.

''Wanna go outside?'' I asked Ruby, who grinned and nodded. We'd been in here for a few hours, and through my reading I had also looked at a book on Semblances and Aura, which had further inspired my seemingly endless curiosity. Idly I wonder if Fate or Destiny had done anything on my life, but I shrugged it off; I couldn't find out, so I wouldn't know. However I was eager to experiment with my newly found power of Dunkelheit, not to mention the gift of knowledge that Life had given me.

We made our way down several halls before we, along with many other students, made our way outside. It was surprisingly cold for the sudden snowstorm, and snow was quickly building up. Probably quite a bad amount of snow considering previous snowstorms, probably the worst I've seen so far, and that's only a guess. Before Ruby could eagerly jump into the building snow I pulled her back, much to her disappointment.

''Snow clothes'' I stated plainly ''Its pretty cold, and we don't need you getting a cold''.

She huffed ''Fine~''.

* * *

On the way back, Ruby had coincidentally picked up the rest of their team, along with JNPR who had a similar idea. Despite their earlier fights with the other students they were eager to go out in the snow, and we did so. Walking out into the open snow, which was now not snowing as heavily, was a collection of students. We were about to move in one to go into the commotion, when Nora went to the right, near the side of the building.

''Nora?'' I blinked, confused.

''We can go have our own snowball war!'' She called happily as she went around the side, and we joined her. It was mostly level with the falling snow, but the trees had naturally formed small walls.

''I say we divide into small teams of our partners'' Weiss said, a tad smugly as she stood next to Ruby and me, implying our superior numbers.

''Whatever'' Yang smirked ''Me and Blake will trash you guys!''.

''No! Me and Ren will!'' Nora barked, hugging Ren to her as the stoic teen gave a slight nod.

I smirked in challenge ''Alright, five minutes to set up our defences. You're only allowed to stay on this side of the building, no Semblances - including mine - and no use of Aura to cause extra harm''.

''Alright!'' Jaune grinned ''Lets do it!''.

I nodded, easily picking out a patch near the wall with a tree for extra protection. Immediately we hunkered down in our winter gear - well, mine was my normal gear. I collected a bunch of snow and pushed it together to form a small wall, piling snow up to build a wall on the left side of the tree. Ruby did the same on the other side, Weiss building the snowballs. Yang and Blake had built one by the trees as well diagonally left to us, while Pyrrha and Jaune had a similar idea as us, building by the wall but without a tree for extra help. Ren and Nora had built basically in the open, but had found a natural ridge so their walls were higher. Not only that but somehow they had made it with a window for Ren to see through, eyeing us as he probably made snowballs or something.

Finally five minutes passed, leading to us all having semi-circle walls. I would be the thrower, since I was the best at it that we tested. There was silence for all of five seconds, the slow patter of snow being the only sound. I poked my head out, and shouted;

''Banzai!''.

Instantly a hail of snowballs were fired from J/P towards us, forcing us to duck. I angled my back against the wall and began rapidly picking up snowballs and throwing them like a catapult towards their direction. A few indignant cries signalled I struck at least a few times. I poked my head out and confirmed that, as one half of his wall had collapsed on them, allowing more of mine to strike. B/Y had also done the same to them from the other angle, but that wall held up, but the snowballs still went over the wall on occasion. Surprisingly R/N hadn't fired at all... until now.

In the lull of the battle, a literal _mortar hail_ of snowballs fell down on us. The tree took some, but ultimately an absolute maelstrom of snow fell down on me, Ruby and Weiss. Like they were an automatic mortar they moved onto Pyrrha and Jaune, snowballs going in an upwards arc before plummeting down on them, further destroying what remained of J/P's base. Finally they moved onto B/Y, but the duo faired quite well, having expected it. Yang acted as an anti-air cannon almost, firing snowballs with great accuracy and shooting down the snowballs before impact. Some, not all.

In unison, all three of us wordlessly targeted N/R. We all unleashed a hail of snowballs, the amounting force taking down their walls. It exposed their, funnily enough, mortar-like stance with Nora firing them vertical in an arc and Ren handing her them. Yang was merciless and unleashed a hail on the duo, making them cry out in surprise as they were buried in their own fort. Our momentary concern was unwarranted as they popped their heads out of the top, Nora pouting.

''Game over'' Yang grinned at them.

''Not yet!'' Nora cried out as she used her incredible strength to throw large chunks of snow at all of us, less snowball and more like a veil of snow. We all ducked, hiding behind the walls of our bases. I poked my head out and swore I saw something _red_ , and I was proven correct when Nora bounced up in front our wall.

While carrying a snowman-sized snowball.

''Fuck''.

I rolled out of the way when she crashed the snowball down, engulfing Ruby and making her a snowman while Weiss managed to escape. Weiss ran around in the open, scooping up snow and unleashing a hail of snowballs at Nora. Pyrrha nailed her right in the face, knocking her onto her back while calling out an apology for it. Weiss sat up, grumbling slightly, when I noticed something.

The green, snow-topped trees behind her.

There was a figure of pure white disrupting the background canvas.

With bright, crimson eyes.

Grimm. A Beowulf by the looks of it.

A _**white**_ Beowulf. Without _any_ spines.

It growled softly, and immediately all actions ceased as we froze. Weiss also paused, eyes wide as she turned around to face the Beowulf. A cloud passed overhead, allowing me to fully see the monster. It was nearly eighteen feet tall on its hind legs, pure white fur and crimson eyes, the right having a scar over it. It lacked _any_ armoured plating, but its age showed in its height and body type. None of us, not even Yang, would be capable of fighting even a regular Beowulf unarmed. I instantly used SchattenSchritt to appeared beside Weiss, in front of the Beowulf and fixing it with a blank look. Silence reigned over us all, until I spoke.

''Weiss... get back to the others'' I ordered quietly, but firmly as I never broke eye contact with the White Beowulf, who was staring at me not in natural hate but... curiosity?

Weiss obeyed, rushing back to Ruby as the whole group collected up into one about fifteen feet behind me. They murmured something and Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, so I stayed silent and stared at the odd Beowulf, deciding to communicate with it.

''What do you want?''.

A rather stupid, but reasonable question.

It growled softly, falling on all fours as it still towered over me by a few feet. Its eyes stared into mine as close to eye-height as it could reach without seeming submissive. Then just as abrupt as its appearance, it growled softly before turning and beginning to walk away. I stared in mild confusion as it did so, but it turned its head back to look at me and make a gruff noise, jerking its head towards the forest. My eyebrows raised as I made a step towards it, making it give some semblance of a nod before continuing on. I blinked before following.

''I'll be back soon'' I called to my friends, giving them a stern look ''Don't follow''.

They were smart enough not to question my judgement. I turned and followed the white Grimm into the snowy forest, my footsteps leaving footprints behind the larger Beowolves ones. It led me deep into the forest, much to my confusion as we walked. Eventually we got deep enough into the white forest, revealing a darkened cave. It was too big to fit inside, barely being able to allow passage for a regular Beowulf, and so sat outside to the right of the cave. It fixed me with an odd look and its muzzle nudged the cave, implying what it wanted me to do. Confused but not questioning, I walked in.

It was like a tunnel almost as it curved downwards, but not steep enough to warrant concern. I shrugged and went inside, the natural lighting coming in from the holes in the ceiling. As I descended I raised an eyebrow at the dust now beginning to appear in the small cracks of the walls, but still I descended while lamenting how weird this day turned out. Regardless I reached flat ground, the tunnel opening up ahead of me. I walked out and blinked owlishly at the sight of a large, expansive dome-like cave with various ledges and tunnels. But that was not concerning compared to the other sight.

Large Ice Dust Crystals littered the place, jutting out of rocks in varying sizes. Even then it didn't make the place look cramped. However even more concerning was the _pack_ of easily forty white Beowolves scattered around the cave. All of their eyes trained on me. I blinked at them, both confused and worried about why I was being directed into here - I was only one person, I wouldn't be worth dragging back here just to kill when they could attack Beacon itself. Slowly one approached me, larger than the rest at the height of the same one outside. Actually, I realised belatedly, it was the exact same one, coming from a tunnel on the other side of the cave.

It approached, standing on all fours but still towering over me. We stared off once again, but eventually it turned once again and gestured with its muzzle to a particularly large Ice Crystal. I went up to the crystal, which was in the centre of the room, and looked at the Grimm for an answer. In a display of intelligence it raised its large claw and make a motion of putting its palm on the crystal. Raising an eyebrow I mimicked it but with the real thing, and instantly I felt an intense burst of energy. To put it in perspective, it was like putting your hand on a hot stove, but the heat travelling up your arm and through your body. I hissed as I felt the pain, but under it I could feel the _raw power_ in it. Like a vacuum I absorbed the energy from it, my left arm stinging on the inside.

Then I felt the power change, become more... _violent_. I held my palm out in front of me so as to see what the hell was happening, and unintentionally creating a small ball of Aura with the now-black energy. I frowned, looking at the 'mute' Grimm for an answer even as my arm burned on the inside. The Grimm must've been _very_ old, as it raised its claw to its face and poked its mask, before making a downwards drawing motion, as if using sign language. Mask and downward pulling, not the easiest to decipher. I focused on the energy, morphing it like my Semblance and willing it to become a Beowulf mask. It did so with ease, and upon it doing so I plainly held it up to my face, unsure of what to do next.

Then everything exploded.

* * *

I woke up with a quiet grunt-gasp as I blinked rapidly, a hand reaching to my face as I felt skin, not a bone mask to my relief. I had gone fully unconscious like when I went into a coma, not semi-unconscious. I remembered everything, so I immediately took note of my surroundings. I was still in the cave, lying on the ground and propped up against a slanted piece of rock, which was relatively comfortable considering the material. I sat up, idly taking note of the two white Beowolves on either side of the rock, in a submissive state but guarded one, protecting.

What a day this is turning out to be...

I sighed and sat up, drawing the attention of the two wolves. They surprisingly just looked at me, eyeing my posture before falling back into their regular stances again. I caught sight of the large, presumably Alpha White Beowulf approaching me once more. It stopped a few feet from me and when I looked at it, I felt a tingling of sorts in my head, like an itch. I ignored it in favour of watching the Beowulf repeat the action it had yesterday.

I raised an eyebrow ''Last time I exploded''.

It shook its head, repeating the action.

I sighed, holding my arm out. I pictured the blackened energy in my hand, as most of my abilities appeared to be mentally triggered, and I confirmed this as the black ball formed. I mentally moulded it to a Beowulf mask once more and, ignoring the higher part of my brain telling me this was a bad idea, placed it on my face. I heard a quiet 'click' and felt it strap onto my face without any said straps being visible. Odd. I watched as my vision sharpened, my eyesight becoming clearer like when I activated Dunkelheit. I blinked several times, scanning my surroundings when something unexpected happened.

 ** _''Hello, Hunter''_** A voice spoke in my head and I flinched faintly, surprised by the old, but unfamiliar voice with a strange(Russian) accent. I looked to the Beowulf for answers, and got a reply _**''It is I who is speaking to you''.**_

I blinked, then sighed.

 _'Of course it is'_ I sighed mentally _'This day is turning out to be weirder than the last'._

The Beowulf blinked, apparently not understanding my mild irritation.

 _'Either way... care to explain?'_ I asked, pointing at the mask now on my face and tapping my head for emphasis.

The snowy Beowulf nodded _**''I am Nazai, the Alpha of my Pack''.**_

 _'Eien, student at Beacon Academy'_ I replied lamely before beginning my questioning _'So, why are you and your pack white instead of black?'._

 ** _''Because we are the dividers, created by Monty Oum himself to prevent the Grimm from going too far, and to prevent humans from going too far as well''_** Nazai explained, once again being another to reference the god-of-gods ** _''Recently however the Grimm have begun to... evolve, to an extent''._**

 _'How so?'._

 ** _''Dust. Our blackened brethren have begun utilising Dust within themselves, causing increased intelligence and Dust-related abilities. I have not found many ancient Grimm who have followed this trend... but one notable figure has''._**

 _'Who?'._

 ** _''Alexia, an Arachne Grimm who dwells within Mountain Glenn as you humans have come to call it. She has been alive for many centuries, nearly a millennium, and is a the one who gave me the scar on my eye''_** Naizai explained ** _''She is quite... defensive of her kin, to put it lightly. I didn't know that, hence my mark to remind me of that fact''._**

I was sure if he could, he would've chuckled.

 _ **''She had begun to use Dust a month ago, consuming the crystals and hardening her skin, sharpening her weapons, acidizing her poison. I imagine she'll be quite a force to reckon with, if she was still in her form that is''.**_

I blinked, brow furrowing at his odd statement _'What do you mean, 'form'?'._

 ** _''Are you talking about me, Nazai?''._**

I jumped slightly as a second voice entered my head, and more out of instinct than anything I turned to my right, watching as a person - _human_ \- approached us. She had black hair that was bunched up into two bundles before falling behind her, small but bright crimson beads holding them up. Her skin was pale and made her bright ruby eyes stand out. She wore a black dress that went down to her ankles, black elegant shoes underneath and smooth cotton gloves on her hands. The dress itself was like a smooth silk, being a V-neck that had partially see-through sleeves that stopped at her elbows, her Yang-sized chest pressed against the constraints of the dress.

 _'Who are you?'_ I asked mentally, since the conversation had continued in this manner _'...Actually, given your last statement, you're probably Alexia, no?'._

Alexia smirked **_''Looks like you hold some intelligence after all aside from instinct''._**

 _'So if you are the Arachne Grimm, how are you human?'_ I asked rather bluntly, looking at Nazai who was mentally grumbling.

 ** _''My, that is indeed a question worthy of a curious cat''_** She chuckled audibly **_''Dust is the answer, it is how I have attained a human form. I have experimented on my fellow Grimm, and have found that only those of age can attain it, as a Beowulf below the age of 200 was not able to attain it, but one of 210 was''._**

 **'** _So why are you here?'._

 ** _''Because we are becoming human too''_** Nazai interjected with a grunt **_''Oum himself has ordered me so, in order to keep up with my fellow Grimm. We are all over the age of five hundred, so we will been assured to humanize ourselves''._**

I looked between the Grimm-turned-human and soon-to-be Human-Grimm _'So why am I here, aside from now being able to create a Grimm mask to communicate with Grimm?'._

 ** _''You learn quickly, and decipher just as quickly''_** Nazai admitted with a touch of respect ** _''You are here, because Oum himself said you are to be our leader against our brethren''._**

I blinked owlishly _'WHAT?!'._

 ** _''I will still retain my position as Alpha, but your authority overrides mine''_** He explained **_''Oum said something about 'having the cards in your favour', but I'm afraid the meaning of those words in lost on us''._**

I blinked again, then sighed _'Alright then, if 'The Creator' said so, then I'll go along with it. When are you guys transforming?'._

 ** _''Now''._**

 _'Fuck'._

Once again, everything exploded.

* * *

I grunted as I sat up once again, thankful my consciousness had only been out for a few seconds, a minute a most, as I got up. Dust concealed most of the cave except the faint shimmers of the remaining Dust Crystals. I waited as the dust in the air slowly disappeared to the ground, revealing a scene that made me blink at, along with sigh at. I swore I'd have grey hairs before I was thirty at this rate.

All of the previous White Beowolves were now human. And naked. And were of both genders.

A sigh escaped my lips ''They'll need some clothes''.

''I agree'' A now-familiar voice said from behind me and I turned slightly to look at the once-Arachne, Alexia ''Perhaps a uniform would be best, since they will fall under your command as will I''.

I looked at with confusion ''You're willing to fall under my command, despite being a Grimm?''.

She smiled ''Yes. I am no longer a Grimm. I may have retained some abilities and traits from my previous form, but I have forgone it instead for my current form, which I assure you is not weak by any standard''.

''Even if it means turning on your fellow Grimm?'' I frowned.

She barked a short laugh ''Especially if its my fellow Grimm, I have no qualms about doing so''.

''I see'' I hummed, quelling the infinite number of curious questions I had for her ''Well then, time to make a uniform then...''.

''What will we be called then?'' She asked as I looked over my new soldiers, all with pale skin, almost white, with black hair and crimson eyes. All of them were of varying sizes and body types, their hair different styles and eyes of different 'shapes'. But one consistency was that their hair was black, skin pale and eyes red.

I smirked as a perfect name came to mind ''We'll be called...''.

''The Monochrome Knights''.

* * *

It took an hour total to make the uniform for all of my new 'soldiers'. There were a total of sixty three, including Alexia and Nazai and Nazai's second-in-command, or Beta as he tends to call him, Artyom. The uniforms for the soldiers would be a white, double-breasted trench coat with a black belt buckle, grey buttons with white pants and shoes with black laces. On the back of the coats were a black circle with a white shield, their emblem. The 'Lieutenants' of the Monochrome Knights (Alexia and Nazai) wore a cape, pinned at the shoulders and similar to Era's cloak in that if you were not moving it covered your whole body, stopping at the knees, the difference being they didn't have hoods and were white - along with the V neck at the collar.

I myself had also changed my outfit as in commemoration for this event. My outfit now consisted of a cloak nigh-identical to Era's, except the silver outlining was replaced by a more metallic iron-silver, but still silver-looking. I had also modelled the hood so it would cover my eyes so that nobody would know if I activated my Dunkelheit or not, although I had forgone my bandana for the sole fact of style. I changed my vest for a black shirt with three white stripes diagonally down the middle, my pants also black with military boots.

All in all I didn't mind it, as I had found - to my mystery and awe - that my ability to summon Judgement through apparent telekinesis also extended to manifestation. I.E. I could spawn it in on a whim instead of carrying it around, which was awesome since Judgement's compact form was just its sniper form, unlike Ruby's which became a box. I kept Punishment on my person under my cloak along with Fragment, encase I was ambushed.

I looked over as my soldiers finished adjusting their uniforms, none having weapons yet, but my Semblance had been pushed quite a bit today with making all the clothes, and while it was regenerating surprisingly quickly it would still take a while. Alexia and Nazai approached me from my right, standing out with their capes. Nazai's human form was massively tall and muscular, standing at around 6'7 with spiky black hair with the standard crimson eyes. Both of them had a relatively serious look on their faces, awaiting orders from me.

''So, what do we do now?'' Alexia asked, shifting idly and pulling at her coat, muttering something about breathing room.

''I've given it a bit of thought'' I drawled slowly, my tone stern ''Given Humanity's stance on Grimm, it would be best if we keep quiet about this, only Ozpin needs to know. As it is we need to establish a place for you guys to stay, since I doubt Ozpin will allow stay in the dorms, as they are for students only and until we have a full understanding of this we should avoid any unnecessary interaction with Aura users''.

''I see'' Nazai nodded thoughtfully ''What should we do then?''.

''Hm...'' I hummed in thought ''I'll see what I can do, probably find a complex for you guys to live in, but that'll take a few hours. For now have Artyom stay here with everyone, you two come with me back to Beacon to see what if Ozpin can help with anything''.

''Mm, alright'' Alexia hummed as she dusted off her clothing.

''I'll go alert Artyom'' Nazai grunted as he went over to the Beta, who was nearby and intentionally listening in. Artyom was tall, probably around 5'11 with a Mohawk of black hair and crimson eyes with slit-like pupils. He was of a fair build, his face slightly narrow and slightly slender, but still relatively buff. As the Beta he wasn't a lieutenant, but was a sergeant, below a lieutenant in ranking. The two exchanged words for only half a minute before Artyom nodded, heading over to a small cluster of people talking in uniform. He came back to me and I nodded, gesturing for them to follow as I headed back the way I came in.

The path was darker than when I entered, but when I got out I immediately noticed the heavier snow, nearly three and a half feet of snow on the ground. I frowned at the unnatural weather, immediately noting that - with all the coincidences happening around me - it was probably a god, demi-god or Maiden or some crap going crazy, I just sighed and resolved to figure it out later. Alexia and Nazai didn't comment as we pushed into the snow, trench coats/cloak helping us as we progressed through the snow. It was heavy, and didn't look like it was going to end soon, not to mention the howling wind that I idly noticed was becoming more vicious.

''Weather is harsh'' I commented idly. The snow was the only thing holding my cloak down, otherwise it'd be billowing around me.

''Yeah...'' Alexia drawled with a grunt ''This... isn't normal...''.

''Ya think?'' Nazai said dryly.

The conversation died down as we continued through the howling wind and patter of snow, the sky dark with grey clouds. However several minutes later amongst the dying light I spotted Beacon in the distance, the lights shining through the windows. My companions also saw this, and we all picked up the pace towards the front entrance. The snow was nearly four and a half feet now and it was becoming difficult to manoeuvre through it, but I ignored my freezes lower half as I pushed to the main doors, pushing them open and letting my two companions enter. The lights were dull and flickering, as if the generator powering them was damaged.

''Odd'' I murmured as I progressed down the hall, taking an opposite route to the dorms and towards the administration offices. I walked down almost silently before I sensed someone else, and I spun on my heel as I caught sight of two figures I had actually been hoping to meet. Reality and Era.

Reality raised an eyebrow at us ''Uh... explain?''.

''A new look'' I shrugged before gesturing ''Walk with us''.

Both blinked, but nodded and caught up next to us, Alexia and Nazai not saying a word sans raise an eyebrow at the two.

''So, who's the duo?'' Reality asked in a lax tone, jerking a thumb at the two lieutenants.

''Alexia and Nazai, my lieutenants'' I intoned with a small smile ''Alexia/Nazai, meet Reality and Era, current gods of Reality and Time respectively''.

Reality glared ''You're not supposed to tell people that''.

''I thought it was you'' Nazai interrupted, looking at Reality ''Oum himself told me of your existence... but I am surprised by your appearance''.

''Meh'' She shrugged, eyeing the tall man with interest ''The Creator talked to you?''.

He grunted ''I am Nazai, Alpha of the White Beowolves, and now lieutenant of the Monochrome Knights''.

Reality blinked, then hummed ''Monochrome Knights... has a nice ring to it''.

''Thanks'' I smirked as I kept an ear out for anyone listening in ''Either way, any idea why the freak weather?''.

Reality shrugged ''I don't got a clue, I ain't doing it''.

''Neither am I'' Era said quietly from beside Alexia, who had also remained silent.

I hummed ''Well that's strange. Is anybody hurt or missing?''.

''None so far, Ozpin called an early curfew when the snow reached three feet'' Realty hummed, hands behind her head as we reached the elevator, getting inside she continued ''He should be up here though, why do you wanna see him?''.

''To alert him of the Monochrome Knights and that we aren't enemies, just encase someone got the wrong idea'' I shrugged nonchalantly ''Besides he could help pick out a spot for our guys to stay''.

''How many?''.

''Fifty-one besides Alexia and Nazai'' I commented and she nodded. The elevator dinged as we reached Ozpin's office, but were given the surprise when we found that (E)RWBY, JNPR and the other members of A(R)EM(E) also present with Ozpin, Qrow and Goodwitch. I blinked as all eyes turned to us.

''Are we... interrupting something?''.

A flurry of rose petals and I was hard pressed not to be knocked off my feet as I was tackled in a hug by Ruby, who probably guessed it was me over my intoning voice. I smiled as I hugged her back, walking out of the elevator to let the others walk out (Reality; skip). They did so, with my lieutenants standing close-by to me, the action not escaping the teachers notice.

''Hey Sweet Rose'' I smiled at her as we exchanged a brief kiss ''You okay?''.

''Mm'' She hummed with a smile ''We were worried about you after you disappeared for the past five hours''.

I chuckled ''Sorry about that, passed out twice''.

''Are you okay?'' She frowned and I smiled, nodding.

''I'm fine Ruby'' I smiled and we broke from the embrace ''So... any reason everyone's gathered up here?''.

''The storm'' Weiss answered with a huff ''Its not natural''.

''I agree'' Nazai intoned with his strange accent ''It is strange, not normal''.

Yang shrugged, eyeing the two nigh-identically clad people ''So... who're you two?''.

''Would you believe me if I said they're my lieutenants for a mini-army I've been made the leader of in the span of five hours, and called the Monochrome Knights?'' I smiled cheerfully.

Everyone blinked, staring.

''I... yeah that pretty much happened'' I finished lamely, gesturing to the amused Alexia and stoic Nazai ''Alexia and Nazai respectively''.

Silence reigned for about thirty seconds before Mercury whistled ''Well if anything; you're full of surprises''.

Weiss sighed ''I can't disagree there''.

''I'll take that as a compliment'' I smiled disarmingly and the previous tension bled from the room ''Either way, the snow doesn't look to be letting up anytime soon-''.

Abruptly the lights flickered before shutting off, the gears above us that made up Ozpin's office's ceiling grinded to a halt as the energy shut off. I saw Ozpin cast an annoyed glance upwards, grunting in annoyance too. Glynda looked out the window with a frown, joined by Qrow as the man cursed.

''Power's off'' He reported, a concerned frown marring his features ''Do you think that the cold shut the generators off... or is it possible someone got access to them and shut them off?''.

Ozpin sighed, looking at his deactivated monitors as he replied ''I don't know, it could be either''.

''It likely the cold'' Nazai grunted with his accent ''I remember time in Atlas, snow freeze metal and make it break easy''.

''But this isn't Atlas'' Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose ''This is likely the worst recorded case of snow in Vale history, if not the worst in Vacuo and Mistral too, not counting Atlas since its snowing most of the year''.

''It not normal'' He replied coolly, getting a murmur of agreement from the repeated conclusion; this snow was not normal. If it wasn't... then my men...

''Professor Ozpin'' I asked, gaining the attention of the headmaster ''Is it possible for Bullheads to fly in this weather?''.

He hummed ''Potentially, but only for a short period of time, why?''.

''My men are out there'' I said in a stern tone ''And I can't let them freeze out there on the first day''.

He raised an eyebrow ''How many men?''.

''Fifty-one'' I replied sharply.

He was quiet for a moment, before nodding ''Very well, I'll have four Bullheads prepare for launch and have some rooms set up, will you be able to guide the Bullheads?''.

An idea came to mind, and I smirked.

''Tell them to follow the crimson Bullhead''.

* * *

 **A/N: So... hate me yet?**

 **I know some people have a strong disdain for OC's, but I wanted to add unique aspects to this story, one of them being the Monochrome Knights. They'll have a future purpose, like everything, but for the most part they'll just make random appearances and be another weapon for Eien to use.**

 **How'd you guys like the story so far? I wanna know~**

 **Reality and Era are now on the scene, but because they're undercover their powers will be severely limited until they reach Salem. I am aware that season 4 of RWBY will one day come, but unless something in S4 drastically changes my plans, I'll continue with my plan for this story and not alter it if S4 comes out.**

 **Anyone know why a sudden snowstorm appeared? Why the generators are off? Do you? Cause I don't... I _totally_ have _zero_ idea because... I'll just stop while I'm ahead.**

 **See you next time~**


	12. Chapter 12: Coming Storm

**A/N: Canon will start later, so don't expect it for a while~**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 12: Coming Storm**

* * *

''Ruby, you don't need to come with me'' I sighed as the Adamantite Bullhead landed next to us, Beacon Bullheads powering up next to it.

''No, I'm coming'' She said firmly, clinging to my arm. Her cape had been wrapped up into a scarf, part of it trailing behind her rosy cheeks.

''Fine'' I sighed with a smile ''You okay with coming Ren?''.

''Its fine'' The stoic teen nodded, the lower half of his face hidden behind a scarf. The engines roared to life as all four of the Beacon Bullheads prepared to take-off.

''Alright, everyone go to a different Bullhead and upon landing guide them into the Bullheads, twelve in each of the normal ones'' I said in a stern, business tone ''They haven't been on a Bullhead before so just instruct them to sit down and strap up, alright?''.

Four nods.

''Then lets go'' I nodded and I went to the crimson Bullhead while Ruby, Ren, Alexia and Nazai heading to a Bullhead each. I walked up the loading bay and into the cockpit, sitting in the pilot seat. I flicked the engines on to full and took the stick, pulling it back as the Bullhead elevated. I heard the other Bullheads follow as I took off at a steady pace towards the cave. The white snow looked dulled to a grey because of the heavy clouds obscuring the sun above, gently patting against the glass gently. I caught sight of the small cave in the clearing and slowed the engines, putting a finger onto the communicator that I had linked to the other Bullheads.

''Arriving at target location, landing'' I said over the communicator, getting a collection of affirmative grunts from the other pilots. I descended downwards, the engines of the Bullhead melted most of the snow away by the time the landing gear came out. The snow was nearly five feet tall now. I kept the engines on and walked out of the cockpit, exiting via the side doors. The snow crunched under my boots and I waited, watching as the other four Bullheads landed also, their engines melting the area around them as they kept them on. My four companions also came out of the side doors, hopping out and approaching me.

''Ruby, Alexia, Ren - stay by the ships.'' I ordered and got several nods before I led the humanized Alpha into the cave. The snow had creeped into the entrance of the tunnel slightly but not enough to warrant concern, so we ignored it as we descended. Murmurs could be heard as we neared the bottom, likely coming from the men and woman who are now under my command. We walked out into the cave, drawing the attention of Artyom who was waiting near the entrance.

''I want twelve on each ship except the crimson one, have Artyom and two others board that one'' I ordered sternly ''You, Alexia, Ruby and Ren will get them strapped in. When we land I want them in the ballroom like we discussed, alright?''.

''Got it'' He grunted and I nodded, heading back. I re-climbed the steps and soon found myself in the falling snow once again, a glance behind me showed me that Nazai had made quick work of rounding them up, as Artyom was gesturing to the path before beginning to walk up them, nodding to me which I returned. I walked over to the crimson Bullhead, which was still active, and walked onto the loading bay door and waited. Twenty seconds later a single file line of Monochrome Knights came out, all dressed nigh-identically as they followed Artyom's instructions, getting into each Bullhead with expressions of unease but obeying anyway. Once all were done Artyom and two others walked up to me, I nodded and gestured for them to come in.

They sat down on the chairs, pulling the belts and clipping them in without me needing to instruct them to. I merely nodded and went to the cockpit, sitting myself down and pulling up, pressing the communicator at the same time.

''Returning to Beacon''.

 _''Roger''_ I got several remarks, most of them cheerful with one or two grumbles. I flew it in the direction of Beacon, idly casting a glance back at Artyom and his two other soldiers. They were uneasy, but were obviously trying to ignore the strange feeling of flying. I was still curious about how the hell Dust had managed to transform Grimm into Humans, let alone friendly ones. Nazai had claimed Oum, also known as The Creator, had told him that he should follow orders from me, even though I was centuries younger than him. I also had many questions on what it was like to be a Grimm, and now to be a Grimm-Human, but those would have to wait until we figured out what was with the intense snow.

I was brought from my musings as I caught sight of Beacon, making me pull back the stick and flip the engines into hover mode as I descended onto the snow-covered landing pads. The other Bullheads also landed on the other landing pads, depositing their passengers before taking off for the hangars. I sat up from my seat and headed for the side door, mentally giving the command for it and it obeys, something I was still mildly confused about. Artyom and the other two followed me as we jumped out, the sky darkened to make the whole place look like monochrome, funny given the name of my new mini-army.

I dismissed my Bullhead and it took off for the cliff-side. I nodded to Artyom and led them towards the others before giving a quiet order for them to go with Nazai and Alexia, to which they obeyed and as a single mind all fifty-three went towards the ballroom. I approached Ren and Ruby, meeting up with them as we walked towards the main entrance.

''Well... you weren't kidding'' Ruby joked lightly, smiling.

''Mm'' I smiled, giving a short chuckle ''The Monochrome Knights, now all I need is to arm them, find them a place to live and get them more than one uniform''.

''How did you meet them anyway?'' Ren politely asked idly.

I smiled ''Would you believe it if I said they are/were White Beowolves that became human through Dust?''.

They stopped, staring at me.

''What''.

* * *

''So, that's the situation'' I smiled at my team, JNPR and AREME, who stared at my like I was crazy.

I might be, who knows at this point?

''You're crazy, that's a fact now'' Weiss sighed, always being the first to speak.

''I second that'' Mercury smirked, adding his two cents.

Reality shook her head, an amused smirk on her face ''I'm impressed... and stupefied, but mostly impressed''.

''I'll take that as a compliment'' I shot back with a smile ''Either way they followed my orders, like a mini-army, so that's neat''.

''So Alexia is actually the Arachne Grimm we found back at Mountain Glenn?'' Blake asked with a small frown.

''Yup''.

''...Okay then'' She finished, blinking slowly.

''I can also do this now'' I commented as I gathered my Aura in my palm, forming the blackened energy in my left arm before moulding it into the shape of a Beowulf mask, placing it off my face ''Last two times it exploded, but hopefully not this time''.

''That's so cool~!'' Nora cheered, poking the bony mask ''Can you turn into one too?!''.

''No, but I believe I can communicate with Grimm, or at least Beowolves'' I shrugged. Abruptly the mask cracked, then crumbled ''And it appears to have a time limit too''.

Ruby sighed, looking out the window ''Looks like the snow still isn't letting up''.

''Either way we should try and get some sleep, hopefully we can sort this out tomorrow'' Weiss concluded.

''Yeah, annoying that its so cold though'' Reality sighed.

Weiss gave her a confused look ''Its not _that_ cold, is it?''.

We all looked at her.

''What?''.

''Guess Snow Queen doesn't feel the cold too much'' Mercury sniped with an amused smirk.

''Shut up'' She scowled, eye twitching at the name. Mercury just snickered as he went to the door, Emerald following with a sigh. Slowly JNPR and AREME left the room while giving their goodnights, leaving us alone in our room, Weiss immediately claiming the bathroom to change.

''It _is_ cold'' Blake commented, looking out the window. Yang, from beside her, smirked and wrapped her arms around her stomach and pulled both back onto Yang's bed, making Blake yelp in surprise.

''Come here kitty-kitty'' Yang grinned at Blake's embarrassed blush.

''Yang!'' Blake very nearly whined.

''You said it was cold~'' She laughed, clinging to Blake ''We need to keep warm~''.

''At least let me get changed'' Blake mumbled.

''Fine'' Yang pouted, letting Blake go. Weiss came out of the bathroom in her nightgown with her hair down, letting Blake go in and get changed while immediately turning in for the night. I shrugged and removed my black cloak off me along with my armaments, leaving me in my plain shirt. I untied my boots and took them off, leaving them at the foot of my bed. I raised an eyebrow and turned to Ruby as she also had changed without me knowing, sitting on my bed with a shy smile. I just smiled in turn and gave her a peck on the cheek, letting her into bed with me. If anything the excuse 'for warmth' could be used here, and I wasn't complaining either way.

''Night'' Ruby mumbled to me, snuggling into my chest.

''Goodnight'' I replied, letting myself drop off to sleep, the bitter cold ignored as I fell 'asleep'.

* * *

A loud, repetitive thumping startled me awake, and Ruby by extension. I blinked in a dazed confusion, my mind taking a few moments to align itself as the others also were awoken with the sound. The sound came again, this time my coherent mind was able to distinguish it as someone knocking. It was still dark, nearly pitch black, meaning it was likely anytime before five in the morning. I allowed myself to grumble lightly as I got up, moving past a groggy and equally annoyed Ruby as I went to the door in a shirt and pants. I unlocked the door with the key on the table next to it and swung it open, annoyance dissipating at the sight of a worried Nazai.

''Nazai? What is it?'' I asked, a frown growing. Something wasn't right - you could tell by his posture and accelerated breathing.

''I not know, but I have bad feeling'' He said with his prominent accent ''Snow was warning''.

''Warning for what?''.

''I not know, but snow make me and pack worry, bad thing coming'' He said, and I frowned deeply.

''Are you just worrying, or is this an imminent danger?'' I asked slowly.

''Instinct tell me danger'' He replied shortly and he paused, looking to his right ''Instinct say danger closing in... Grimm...''.

I grunted ''Do you or the others have weapons?''.

''No, we have fists, but not good for fighting Grimm''.

I clicked my tongue, my team now fully awake as they listened ''I see, are all of the men and women equal in combat, or do you know which are better than others?''.

''Artyom and Alexia are better than others, but I know a few who good'' He grunted and I nodded.

''Alright, do you have any idea how long we have before this 'attack' comes?''.

''Instinct tell me not long, less than fifteen minutes''.

''Very well, return to the ballroom and await my presence, analyse what type of weapon would suit each man best and update me when I arrive'' I ordered sternly and he nodded, swiftly moving back towards the ballroom. I turned to my team with a _Grimm_ expression, but my gaze was on the window, to the ominous forest ''You guys ready?''.

''Once we're dressed'' Weiss commented lamely as she claimed the bathroom with a huff, but the seriousness of the potential attack showed on her face.

''Ruby I need you to go to our lockers and grab our weapons'' I stated seriously and the girl nodded, running past me before taking off in a flutter of rose petals ''Blake, contact the staff and warn them. Yang I need you to go to the dorms and wake everyone up, warning them of the potential attack''.

''Got it'' Yang grinned as she unashamedly stripped, getting changed quickly and I politely turned around for the sake of modesty. I sighed as I went and collected my cloak, slinging it on and putting my shoes back on, and set off towards the ballroom. I was only down one corridor before I was surprised by the sight of Ozpin fully dressed, sipping in an almost casual manner.

''Headmaster?'' I blinked, surprised.

''I also sensed the pending attack'' He smiled, pausing for another sip ''Battle instincts do that to you''.

I mentally shrugged off the strangeness of the situation, and asked ''What is coming? Just a small amount or an army?''.

Ozpin hummed ''Quite a few, something indeed worthy of awakening the whole school for, I advise arming your men quickly''.

''I'll try'' I nodded as I moved past him, heading for the ballroom. The power was still off it seemed, and right now it was looking to be _extremely_ suspicious this Grimm attack was happening so soon after all these recent events. The gods wouldn't be working against us.

Right?

* * *

While it had taken a fair cost of my Aura, which I was surprised at its large volume, and almost half of my soul to construct I had been successful in arming my men and women with weapons. Most of them weren't overly spectacular, mainly just simple melee-transforming-guns like most hunters. Ozpin had followed me, and to my surprise unlocked the Aura of all of my men, something that barely seemed to tire him and also surprised me because I was unaware they had yet to unlock their Aura. They didn't have their Semblances though, if they could have them, so I held out hope that they would miraculously gain them during the fight. Jaune also had yet to gain a Semblance, so that something I'll have to work on... so much to do...

I was pulled from my thoughts as a metallic 'shling' came from beside me. My gaze turned to Alexia, who was admiring her weapon I spawned and she named Slice and Dice, respectively. Both of them were black katana with a red stripe down the middle on both sides with a cup guard on both of them. I had seen something similar from Ruby's magazine, instead I made them dual wielding. So far Alexia seemed to use them well, giving a few practice swings and a few pointers from Blake helped her get adjusted quickly, 'instinct' helping her the rest of the way.

Nazai's weapon was much different, being a thick broadsword painted white with a small (less than a millimetre) gap in the middle down the blade. Its middle split open and the handle twisted and bent to form a grip, trigger and revolving cylinder. The cylinder contained a cartridge of Liquid Electrical Dust that Ozpin had allowed me to take after showing me the armoury, which I was impressed at by the amount of bullets and varying ammo in there. Either way it split open down the middle into a small space lined with gold which conducted raw electricity before firing a condensed bolt of it. A long charge time, but likely to one-shot a Deathstalker.

''You ready?'' I asked the duo as I loaded Judgement with Anti-Material rounds, the snow no longer falling around us as we stood outside the main entrance.

''Of course'' Alexia said elegantly as she twirled her dual katana in her hands, Nazai grunting the affirmative ''What's the plan?''.

''We go with a majority of the students and await the approach, then start of with ranged fire until they're close enough for melee and spread out'' I answered simply, checking my gear once more before slinging Judgement over my shoulder.

''Then let us go'' Nazai stated as myself, him and Alexia started walking ''We're moving! Follow!''.

''Urah!'' Came the collective cheer back as they all moved towards the side of the building, with me leading. A line of students now stood firmly, loading up or already aiming at the forest. The other teachers were either a little back or spread out amongst the line, which spread at least a good few hundred metres. A large gap remained in the middle, which was where I lead my men. We drew quite a few eyes and mutters, but I easily ignored them as I found my team, greeting them with a grim smile as Nazai ordered my men to line up as well.

''You guys ready?'' I smiled at them.

''As we'll ever be'' Blake spoke, smiling lightly.

''Where are the others?'' I asked, scanning the line.

''Jaune and his team are not far to our left, while Adam's team is far to the right'' Weiss replied smoothly.

Before any other conversation could continue, Nazai called loudly ''They approach!''.

Immediately any conversation died down, grimness filling the air as we waited. I raised my palms out as my Dunkelheit flawlessly activated, wordlessly summoning two Sigils of the strange grey. Out of it a serious Neo and blank-faced Eleanor came, staring at the treeline also. For a long minute nothing happened, and just when someone was about to speak the treeline rustled slightly. Suddenly a freight-train of snow began tunnelling towards us, more specifically my team and me. Several more broke the treeline, roughly ten, spread out along the line.

''King Taijitu!'' I shouted as I raised a hand and a Sigil formed in front of me ''Insho: Kasai!''.

Immediately the red Sigil glowed brightly before a thick snake of fire burst forward, worming at the Taijitu. It struck where its head would be, causing it to screech as its white head reared up from the snow pile, its momentum slowing as it revealed its burned face, its left side of its face completely burned away as its remaining eye glared at me.

''Fire!'' Someone shouted, and immediately everyone unloaded at the multiple King Taijitu, bringing the first heads down with ease. The black head from my one raised, but someone sniped it before it could even screech. The treeline burst as a literal army of Beowolves charged towards us, and those not targeting the Taijitu immediately unloaded at the approaching Grimm. I was no different, immediately raising Judgement and taking sight of a Beowulf, picking it off with practiced ease. I aimed and fired again, two dead with a collateral third. Another. Two more. A final one. I paused to reload, a bolt of electricity coming from my left signalling Nazai firing, followed by his gleeful cheer and he transformed it back into its melee form.

I did the same, just in time as the Grimm reached us. It became an all-out melee immediately as we were forced to hack and slash at the Grimm, explosions echoing around me as I hacked off the head of a Grimm with ease. I spun to avoid a claw and fired at my feet, going airborne and allowing gravity to bring me back down on a distracted Beowulf, planting my foot on its head and crushing it under my momentum, already moving to target another Beowulf. Ruby blurred past me, chopping several Grimm heads on her way.

I shot at my feet to avoid another Beowulf, but instead of descending I placed a hand down below me and formed a Force Sigil, but instead of firing it I used it as a platform like Weiss did with her Glyph's. I slung Judgement onto my should as I manoeuvred myself so I could stand without stop the flow of Aura to the Force Sigil. I raised my other free palm and formed a Fire Sigil, aiming for the largest, human-less group of Grimm.

''Insho: Kasai'' I called as the Sigil glowed and I felt my Aura get chewed on as it was drained, though I ignored that fact as I watched the worm of fire crash into a large group of Beowolves, acting like a twister and creating a line of destruction along the enemy line. I created another one and repeated the phrase, tearing another trench of burnt Grimm further down the line.

The Sigil dissipated, but my eyes widened as I was suddenly pierced by a spear of ice, knocking me off my platform and making it disappear. I grunted as I was sent toppling onto one of the many rooftops of Beacon, my eyes darting to my stomach where a thin spear of ice had pierced me. I bashed it with the side of my fist, cracking it with my Aura-enhanced blow. I rolled over as the other half of the spear fell out of my back and I winced as my stomach bled, my Aura rapidly attempting to heal it.

I however was taken aback as it rapidly healed up, even though I had not learnt how to regenerate yet. I noticed my palm glowing and immediately, in a blind flurry, detached my left gauntlet. I was stunned at the white heart on my the back of my hand, planted by Life. Had I activated it somehow? Or was this passive? I discarded those questions and curiosities as the sounds of battle reached my ears. I equipped my gauntlet once again and picked up Judgement, which had nearly fallen off the roof, and quickly checked I was back in working condition before scanning the battlefield.

Ruby, Weiss and Blake were tearing up a small part of the battlefield straight ahead of me, while Yang was a force on her own, mauling Grimm with her fists. CRDL were off to the left, doing quite well and actually working with some of my men at destroying some Deathstalkers- what? I blinked as I realised in the few moments I was out of the fight two dozen Deathstalkers had entered the field along with dozens of Ursa. I narrowed my eyes as I brought Judgement to bear, idly noting Glynda Goodwitch unleashing a hail of ice down on the Grimm, and aimed for an Ursa, firing.

The Anti-Material round easily carved through its mask, collapsing its body in a second. I caught sight of Neo and Eleanor working in tandem to cleave through the Grimm with JNPR. I was taken aback as I saw an energy beam of pink tear through the ranks of enemies, my eyes leading me to the sight of a giggling Reality as she shot it from her palm, standing on a tall teen's shoulder, as light as a feather. A dark blue beam outlined with black came from Era as she followed her friends technique, also cleaving through the Grimm with equal power.

I remembered I was standing idle and checked my Aura, roughly 65%. I shrugged and fired at my feet, cracking the roof, and ascended into the sky once more. I narrowed my eyes once more at the sight of several Dust-infused Grimm, which also brought the question as to why they hadn't become human, but I dismissed that thought. I created a Sigil with my feet and stood upon it, this time cutting my finger with Judgement. I raised my bleeding hand and formed a Fire Sigil, but this time I rubbed my blood onto the Sigil, watching in momentary fascination as it pulsated and became black. This type of Sigil was tried a week ago, and it was proven to be quite deadly, which suited the situation.

''Insho: Shi Kasai'' I intoned as I mentally aimed the Sigil's targets. Three separate beams of black flames shot out from the Sigil, each crashing into the Grimm and exploding on contact, spreading black flames that were quickly extinguished after the body was disintegrated, and after I also quenched them with a mental whim. My attack helped clear the line, but I also drew the attention of several Duststalkers, who reared their Dust-infused tails back as they glowed. I grimaced as I hopped off my platform and descended to the ground, the ice spears flying past me. I crashed onto an Ursa, my momentum making a sickening crunch on its back and it roared in fury, only for it to be silenced by Yang.

She flashed me a silent grin before moving onto another Beowulf, and I hopped off and hacked through one of the other Beowolves. I dodged back just as a black feather crashed next to me, piercing the skull of a Beowulf that had tried to get me. I scowled and looked up, seeing several Nevermore now circling above the battlefield. Honestly it wouldn't be surprising if some Goliaths started entering the field, hell how did this much Grimm get past a forest full of cameras?

Either way I shot at my feet diagonally, shooting me back towards the academy. As I flew over I grimaced at the sight of several corpses of students, but ignored them as I skidding to a stop near the wall of the academy. I aimed with Judgement and fired repeatedly at the birds, only to be forced to duck after the third shot as a Beowulf lashed out at me. I easily slashed its head off but let out a grunt-gasp of pain as the teeth of a Beowulf bit into my arm, and another pair bit into the side of my stomach. I winced as I glared at the Beowolves, but the glare dissolved as I saw something that made me pause.

Red Dust Crystals.

Glowing.

Despite the _GRIMM_ situation I was in, I couldn't stop the words coming out;

''Fuck''.

For the _third fucking time_ , everything exploded.

* * *

A groan escaped my lips as I returned to consciousness and my vision swam for a few moments, slowly realigning itself as my brain returned to functioning capacity. I blinked a few times to fully correct my vision, and thankfully did not see a Grimm in front of me. Instead, given the _much_ quieter noise, the battle seemed to be over. The only noises were shouts and calls, the sounds of crunching footsteps and cries of despair for presumably dead people. I grunted as I got up, my side stinging but _still there_ as well as my arm, though the skin was freshly pink.

I scanned around and found JNPR and (E)RWBY, but was taken aback by how... paralyzed they look while looking down. Cold dread settled in my stomach as I grimly acknowledged one of them, or someone they knew, must've died in the fight. I approached and I tensed at the sight of a bloody Jaune on the ground, his face oddly serene as he lay with a hole in his chest, through his heart. Pyrrha was next to him, quietly sobbing her eyes out. Ren and Nora were still, Nora looking ready to burst into tears while Ren was obviously being strong for her.

Ruby had been crying, but was no longer judging from the dry tear tracks. Yang was in the same boat as Ren. Blake was sombre and Weiss looked like she was ready to both scream in fury and cry her heart out. AREME wasn't in sight. I walked up next to them, silent as I grimaced down at his body. I knew the solution, so I knelt down next to the body, sighing as I felt my reserves. 56% and regenerating.

''Pyrrha... I'm going to ask you to move back'' I asked softly. Pyrrha, apparently realising I was going to redo my reviving Sigil, nodded and moved back, holding onto Blake for support, physical and emotional. I sighed again as I repeated the process that I did for the young teen on the streets, injecting several shards of my soul into Jaune. I envisioned his soul as a soft blue sphere, and I could feel the shattered state of it and see it from behind my eyelids. I did the same as I did for Mae Sui, creating a healing Sigil beneath him and moulding my shards to repair his soul.

''Aufstieg und Fall, vom Himmel zur Holle und Wasser zu Schnee. Das Leben schwindet aus den Augen, wahrend der Tod Ihrer Aufnahme in den ewigen Schatten der Nacht lockt. Ich befehle Ihre Ruckkehr ins Leben, wie es ist mein Wille und wird nicht durch eine andere Kraft ungehorsam werden. Kommen Sie wieder zum Leben: Licht Weben'' I recited. I felt my reserves take a beating from doing so, and I felt a searing pain in my chest, but I continued on and was relieved when I felt it work, his soul repairing itself with surprising speed after I gave it a jump-start. With a gasp Jaune woke up, weakly flailing as oxygen filled his lungs. I winced at the lingering pain in my chest but ignored it, dismissing it as Aura depletion.

''Jaune!'' Pyrrha gasped and hugged him for dear life, but thankfully was aware to be gentle and did so accordingly.

''Pyrrha?'' Jaune murmured groggily, confused.

''Give him some room, he'll need a few minutes to realign himself'' I explained to my friends, idly glancing at my left hand and seeing that it was glowing, my Aura rapidly healing also ''Guess I'm going to play medic for tonight... if any of you find Reality or Era, send them over to me if you can''.

''Alright'' Blake smiled, nodding as she watched the scene as JNPR had a mini-celebration over the revival of their team leader. I smiled back and nodded also before trekking over to another group of students, intent on helping anyway I can.

* * *

The snow trudged under our shoes as we approached the kneeling and panting form of Eien, his Aura dangerously low and Life's Mark no longer restoring his Aura. They would have to heal his soul too, since anyone with a modicum of Aura observation could see his soul was in bad shape. Hell just from looking at him you could see it was taking its toll on him, his skin pale, blood running from his mouth and nose, breath coming out in pants, he looked like he hadn't seen the sun in a year and had run a marathon.

I gave him a pointed look with my mixed eyes ''You should rest, you're Aura is pretty low and Life's gift ain't healing you anymore''.

He shook his head, idly wiping some blood from his mouth ''I'll be fine for now, I need to try and revive the other students''.

''Baka'' I rolled my heterochromic eyes, saying the familiar Japanese word ''Stop wasting your life healing them, you're only killing yourself''.

He paused, looking confused ''Come again?''.

''You're _sacrificing_ your own soul to save theirs, Baka'' I berated him with a huff ''At the rate you're going, you'll kill yourself, hell your soul will have to be healed either way!''.

He blinked slowly, looking at me with a mildly surprised, but also mildly puzzled. I was about to go off on him again before he nodded slowly, as if he was having a mental debate with himself before conceding.

''I see... apologies'' He replied quietly, eyes down but his posture was one of deep thought. I was thankful that Oum hadn't picked some cry-baby who whined about everything or cried over shit, he was actually kinda decent, though he did have a bit of a blank stare when he was in thought - which happened often. It was unnerving, but at the same time she was sure he didn't realise he was doing it, so she easily brushed it off. Eien's coughing broke me from my thoughts as he coughed up some blood onto his palm, which he just wiped away on the snow.

I sighed ''Era, do it''.

''H-Hai...'' Era stutter in her usual shy manner. She raised her palms and emitted a dark murky blue glow from her palms, and Eien's body also glowed in a similar manner. This was one of Era's ability, being able to turn back time in a small area. In this situation, she was rewinding the damage done to Eien's body, repairing his soul and regenerating his Aura. The only thing unaffected by her ability was Death's mark and Life's mark on each of his hands, as they were the marks of gods and thus were unaffected by another gods power, sans The Creator's.

A few moments later Era stopped, the dark glow fading as Eien examined his body in surprise, seeing that not only his wounds and Aura, but also his Semblance and clothing had been repaired. I sighed, quickly debating my next decision, before mumbling a 'Fuck it' and going with it. I'll get shit for it later either way.

''Alright, seeing as you're an absolute idiot, me and Era will now be helping you'' I stated boldly, staring him down as if to argue.

He just blinked, surprised ''Eh?''.

Era was on the same boat, a question mark floating above her ''Eh?''.

''Well you know nothing about using your God-Powers, do you?'' I asked with a grin.

He blinked ''I have god powers?''.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I did an impression of a goldfish for several moments before I burst ''Are you an idiot!?''.

He blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

''Rea-chan...'' Era murmured, using my nickname. I sighed irritably as I pinched my nose, how dumb was this idiot-

''Oh, you mean the signs on my hands?'' He asked, removing his gloves to show the black skull and white heart was on the back of his hands.

''Yes, those you Baka'' I grumbled, rolling my eyes ''You used up the power in Life's mark, but its regenerating. You need to learn to use those if your going to be hunting big fish''.

He nodded resolutely ''Sure, thanks by the way''.

I smiled ''No problem''.

''Oh yeah I almost forgot'' He remarked, getting another thoughtful look as he asked ''Do you know about Eleanor?''.

''How you created her with Life's help? Yeah I know'' I shrugged, curious.

''I created her with a Semblance... does that mean I can technically make a soul with the same Semblance as a god?'' He asked with childish curiosity, looking so eager he was like a puppy.

''Well you _could_ , but obviously as a god we have more experience and Aura than you can even comprehend, so you won't be able to make a god, but you can make one with an identical Semblance'' I explained to him, a little touched by his eagerness to learn.

He hummed ''Well what's your Semblance then?''.

I paused ''I already told you, my Semblance is _technically_ Reality Manipulation. I say technically 'cause us gods don't have one, but we have something like it so its easy to categorise it as the same thing''.

''I see'' He nodded ''But what _is_ Reality Manipulation? You said you could basically do anything, but it has to have its limits, right?''.

I frowned, shaking my heads ''Sorry, ain't telling ya, safety reasons and such''.

''Oh, sorry'' He apologised but I waved it off.

''Either way, we're going to help you unlock them, and also to use _our_ powers too'' I smirked at his stunned face, before lowering my voice ''You're the one who's supposedly 'The One' as claimed by The Creator, so we're all here to give you a little boost... or a big boost~''.

''Thanks'' He smiled as he got to his feet, and I abruptly found myself pulled into a hug, Era also. We were just under five foot, so the top of our heads only reached his eye level, and the unexpected contact made the heat rush to my cheeks. He chuckled as he released us from his embrace, revealing Era had a bright blush on her cheeks also.

''Baka'' I mumbled in embarrassment, looking away from him.

He just chuckled.

* * *

From the treeline, a single figure watched with a dark smirk as all the students of Beacon left back towards the building. Not all of them had been saved by young Eien, but enough that his ability had become prominent to his peers and would undoubtedly spread.

''He has progressed well... lets see how he'll continue...'' The figure smiled darkly ''Remember child... nothing is eternal''.

With her test complete, Salem left the area, taking the unnatural winter with her and crunching cameras under her feet.

* * *

Ozpin's office was silent as we stared at the information informed to us. The current attendees were Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck, Qrow, Amber, myself, Alexia, Nazai, Reality and Era. In front of us, on Ozpin's desk, was a screen of information regarding Dust-Grimm. We were all stunned into silence by this information, even Reality was quiet, a pensive frown on her soft face.

''This... is concerning'' Amber concluded quietly, looking at the information again ''So Dust has began to be harnessed by the Grimm on a global scale? I can't see this ending well... though that's obvious...''.

I turned to Alexia and Nazai ''Why haven't the Grimm began humanizing like you two did?''.

''It require special Dust made by special method'' Nazai explained with his accent, everyone in the room already knowing of the Grimm-Human's.

''And how is that?'' Ozpin asked mildly.

''Take Light Dust and bleed on it, then make Human or Faunus bleed on it then break Crystal, it make Grimm become Human'' He explained truthfully before looking at me ''My pack different because Oum himself transformed us with his limited intervention''.

''I did the former to become human'' Alexia hummed, eyes still trained on the information ''It does not seem to be common knowledge amongst Grimm''.

Glynda raised an eyebrow ''The Grimm communicate with one another?''.

''Not openly, no, but when a superior Grimm approaches a weaker one, if they refuse to tell then all it takes is a little violence'' She laughed melodically despite the morbid air of her statement, but then again nobody seemed overly bothered by it ''There is a sort of Grimm Hierarchy in a sense, mainly determined via species and not by individualism''.

Nazai picked off where she stopped ''There are many tiers to the hierarchy, but I tell the five most prominent, in order of fifth to first; Depth Weaver, Swamper, Manticore, Draconis, Titano''.

I blinked ''I... haven't heard those names before''.

Qrow nodded, filling me in ''Its to be expected, you'd either be taught that near the end of the second semester or early in your second year, as most students don't go on missions where they have to potential to run into them''.

Port coughed as he began, being the Grimm Studies expert here ''To give you a basic rundown of the five Grimm; Depth Weavers are incredibly fast sea-based Grimm. They usually reside in the depths of the ocean, but have an impressive sonar that detects any ships that cross the oceans. Most large-scale ships such as freighters are nearly immune to small groups of Depth Stalkers, but large, ancient ones have been rumoured to take down one or two on occasions. They have a furless body reminiscent of a Beowulf, but it stops near the waist as it forms into a long, jagged tail. Two fins are positioned on each side of its thick body along with a pair of strong arm with claws. Its head it rather narrow and almost rectangular in shape, having bone plating and slanted eyes on the upper section while the lower section is weaker. They are infamous for their incredible speed and stealth capabilities''.

''Swampers are nearly the direct opposite, being large, lumbering Grimm that live in the swamp sections of the Badlands on Mistral. A mature Swamper would be nearly as tall as Beacon itself! Their body largely remained merely black fur that is incredibly durable, having short, chubby hind legs and tall, tree-like fore legs. Its mask is shield-like in shape, growing a small beard of its black fur underneath its mask to hide its mouth. Above its head is a large, mass of fur that looks like a leafless tree, this large construct descends to its shoulders and often becomes home to Nevermore, which adds to the difficulty of the beast. They are largely like Goliaths in that they do not actively hunt humans, although they are classified as an S-Rank for their insane durability and physical prowess when aggravated''.

''Manticore are a rather mixed bunch, as they are collectively know for their variety. Manticore are often a mix of two or more Grimm, such as a King Taijitu and Nevermore, or a Goliath and an Ursa. Despite the logical disadvantages of certain combinations, nature saw it fit to make them incredibly powerful, for even young Manticore can easily handle a four-man Hunter Team'' Port continued and I listened obediently ''Because of their varied nature, they are - like all five of them - ranked as S-Rank, because of their power''.

''Draconis are quite the fearsome beasts, being a dragon after all. Even the youngest of Draconis are capable of handling a E-Rank Hunter Team, and a full-grown Draconis are regarded as one of the most fearsome Grimm alive. Large, armoured and given the ability to fly they vary in type, but all focus on the theme of dragons. Some are thinner and faster than others, while others are slower but more armoured. A mature Draconis hasn't been seen for several decades, not since Sum-''.

He was interrupted by a cough from Ozpin ''Peter...''.

''Oh, apologises'' Port nodded, apologetic before continuing on ''Either way, the final Grimm are regarded as _the_ most dangerous known Grimm; Titano. They are roughly like humans in terms of appearance, having a knight-like form but made from Grimm plating. They are heavily armoured and young ones are relatively common enemies in Atlas or Mistral, however mature ones have not been seen for a century, but the last recorded one was as tall as Beacon, and deserved its name from tis titanic power. They are renowned for their attack and defensive capabilities, but their speed is lacking in most cases''.

I nodded ''I see...''.

Nazai looked at Port and Ozpin, a confused look on his face ''You do know there ancient Draconis at Mountain Glenn, yes?''.

Everyone paused, looking at him in surprise.

''What?''.

* * *

I panted lightly as I sat on the remaining trunk of a tree, having fell over not long ago. A rather pitiful recreation of Seele Ernten was behind me, extending out of my back and into the forest around me, the grass, trees and even bushes all withering away as I absorbed the raw energy from the planet as I used it to restore my Aura and even accelerate the healing process of my soul. I had just finished creating my second 'spirit', but unlike Eleanor it was not female, instead male - though it would be hard to tell.

I based him off the old tale of the Crimson Ronin, giving him crimson-and-black samurai armour that offered excellent protection. He wore the standard, demonic horned mask that most samurai used to wear back in the great war. I also gave him a traditional katana with a red and black style to it, the blade silver unlike Alexia's. Underneath his armour was a teen around the age of nineteen with grey eyes and short but messy black hair, a fair build and skin tone. I had been very determined when creating him, wishing to create a new 'type' of Semblance that so far was unheard of; Anti-Army. Essentially it meant it was a Semblance that was designed for fighting large hordes, borderline armies, hence the name.

So far he hadn't heard of anything of the sort. Sure, he's heard of people so skilled with their Semblance they were capable of taking on an army, but not a Semblance specifically designed to destroy literal armies. Currently the Ronin was unconscious after its creation, but it would likely be only a few minutes before he woke up. By that time I intended to give him a basic lesson on general things on Remnant, then I'd try and see if Pyrrha had time to train him in the basics of swordsmanship.

The meeting yesterday had been tiring, especially after the then-review meeting had turned into a war meeting, essentially. All locations of ancient Grimm known to Nazai and Alexia were mapped and information on the Grimm given willingly, and for the next three hours everyone became part of the council to destroy the ancient Grimm. It was surprising on the large amount of them, and Nazai informed that those were the only ones he knew, not all Ancient Grimm in existence. Ozpin had begun what he titled 'Operation Black Storm', which would be a massive incursion against the enemy Grimm, 'enemy' as in the non-human/non-Monochrome Knight ones. The remaining tests were cancelled for today since some were wounded or dead. It was to be a huge operation on a planetary level, eliminating masses of Grimm despite the truth about them I knew.

Part of me wanted to tell him, but the other knew that I should be more private about secrets, especially ones from gods - it was hard to remember they were gods sometimes, since they were so polite. I was curious on their powers, but they gave off the impression they'd keep them low-down, which I could understand - I held the potential to accidently let something slip, and it could go into the wrong hands. I sighed as I reflected on the events, while I had not noticed it at the time my friends were actually pretty beat up physically... I needed a way to protect them.

A low groan drew my attention as the Ronin woke up, and I immediately put on a friendly smile and took a breath, before greeting him.

''Hello, Doran''.

* * *

The harsh snowy weather that had appeared the day/night of the attack was dying down now, as both students and civilians were now playing in the snow cheerfully. It was also hard to believe that even after I had revived eight~ students, there were still nearly fifteen others who were now dead. I had found the list of the dead, and while it was morbid to say, I was thankful most of the deceased had died in teams. The first reason was simply logical; it meant there weren't any disproportioned teams, and it also meant that they died together, so the remaining team members didn't have to grieve.

I dismissed those morbid thoughts as I focused back on the efforts of my work; forging. I was never the best at it, Ruby easily surpassed mine and the only reason for my high-quality grade weapons and items was because I, technically, made it with my mind, and therefore perfection wasn't too difficult. However in this situation it was necessary to be hand-forged, as the device I was using was an expensive one, and one I couldn't fully analyse with a pulse of Aura like I did other things. It had been a simpler task to go around to my friends and ask their preferred jewellery, doing so stealthily and slyly.

For Ruby, I've made a platinum necklace with a ruby gem inside the head of a rose. Blake's was a silver collar necklace with an onyx gem in the shape of her symbol too. Yang's was a gold wristband with a topaz flame symbol on it. Weiss's was a silver necklace with a diamond snowflake on it. Nora's was a bronze bracelet with a light-pink morganite gem in the form of a small hammer. Ren's was the same, but the gem was Amethyst in the shape of his symbol. Pyrrha's was a gold necklace with her symbol in emerald. Jaune's was a gold dog-tag with his symbol on it, made from Sapphire.

Adam's was a metallised obsidian with a crystallised bloodstone rose on it, which was apparently his symbol also. Emerald's was a bronze necklace with her symbol in green demantoid. A grey-green tourmaline forged into his winged boot symbol on a silver Dog Tag for Mercury. Reality's was a pink tourmaline inside a silver necklace, the shape of the gem in a flower. Era's was a deep blue tanzanite in the shape of a clock on a silver necklace. Amber's was a bronze necklace with an amber inside it, in the shape of leaf. My own one was cool-blue apatite shaped into a simple circle on a silver wristband/bracelet. The lieutenants of the Monochrome Knights all had either a silver necklace or dog-tag (depending on gender) with an onyx shaped into a shield.

Nodding at my work, I moved over to the small boxes I had prepared. They were simple ones with a different colour each along with a little bow on top, small enough to hold in your hand. Gently I picked up each piece of jewellery and placed them inside the boxes, each with a different tag on it, a different name. Once that was done I gathered them all into a small sack and headed out. Like a ninja.

* * *

''Think of it as a lucky charm whenever you go into a fight'' I said cheerfully as Reality and Era looked at their necklaces, the rest of their team not present. He, Era and Reality were the only ones present in AREME's dorm room, me having caught them before they went in the room after delivering JNPR's and my own teams. Reality had customized her section of the room by placing a mass of _S_ _nake Plushies_ on her bed, while Era had a pillow with a clock on it.

''Pretty...'' Era mumbled in a cute, childish way. Meanwhile Reality was, surprisingly, blushing up a storm. Her eyes looked up and caught sight of the amusement in my eyes and her blush darkened before she buried herself in my cloak, as if to hide her embarrassment. For a god she was surprisingly child-like.

''Thank you'' Reality muffled voice came from my cloak and I chuckled. She removed her face from my cloak long enough to put the necklace on, with Era doing it in _exact_ tandem with her. Era smiled softly and mumbled a 'thank you' as she ran a finger over the clock-shaped gem repeatedly, as if it was soothing. Reality was still blushing and looking away with a fierce pout on her face, still embarrassed apparently.

We stayed like that in a comfortable silence for a few more seconds, before Reality jolted as she seemed to remember something ''Ah! I almost forgot!''.

I quirked a brow as Reality leaned in to Era and whispered something. I momentarily considered activating my Dunkelheit to hear, but immediately dismissed the thought on the sake of privacy. Era nodded, a faint blush still present on her cheeks as Reality turned to me, her usual cocky grin on her face, blush dimming slightly.

''We need to transfer a tiny part of our powers to you so you can use them'' She explained, grin still present ''Hood down~''.

Obliging her request, I pulled my hood down. My brown hair fell around me after being released from the confines of the hooded cloak, slightly wavy. I probably needed a haircut. Regardless Era went to my left side and Reality to my right as they closed their eyes, Era glowing a dark blue and Reality a bright pink as they prepared for the transfer. I blinked patiently, but was mildly surprised when both leaned up on their tip-toes and gave me a peck on each cheek. I looked at them both in equal mild surprise as they both blushed up a storm, but I wouldn't deny I could feel a lingering feeling where they kissed, and I confirmed that it was indeed a transfer of power as I felt power run from my cheeks to my chest, and into my soul.

''Well that was a thing'' I commented idly, and both of the child gods blushed even darker in embarrassment.

''A-Anyway!'' Reality very nearly squeaked as she began walking towards the door ''C-Come on! We'll s-start with testing your skill with our p-powers!''.

I raised an eyebrow at her stuttering, but asked a question I had previously pondered ''May I ask why exactly I have been given the powers of four different gods? I'm not complaining, nor dislike it, but why?''.

Both seemed to freeze before I even finished, sharing a glance before Reality answered ''W-Well to help you... fight against the Grimm!''.

I nodding, appearing to accept this as I followed them as Reality hastily fled the room, Era shyly following and giving a soft, shy smile at me. I merely smiled back and allowed her to catch up to her friend as I trailed behind. In the back of my mind, he winced as he easily recalled her words.

 _''W-Well to help you... fight against the Grimm!''._

He knew a lie when he saw one.

Especially an obvious one.

* * *

''Alright!'' Reality grinned as we finally made to a stop in the middle of the cave where he originally met Nazai and Alexia ''Time to get started! So, since my powers and Era's aren't as powerful as Life or Death's, we didn't put a lock on them and as such, we can skip the boring parts~''.

I blinked ''How exactly is the complete manipulation of reality and total manipulation of time considered less powerful than life and death?''.

Era, surprisingly, spoke up ''Its because we can't affect the powers of other gods''.

''So how does that reduce the power of your own?'' I queried.

''Because Life controls _life_ , Death controls _death_ and so on. I can speed up or slow down a persons lifespan, but not kill them nor revive them. Reality can't kill the Grimm, only remove them either temporarily or move them somewhere else, and she also can't bring someone back to life'' Era explained in detail, voice soft as always as she spoke ''Our powers our strong, but at the same time are very limited depending on the target''.

''Ah'' I nodded thoughtfully, before a question posed itself ''You keep saying that you can't affect the powers of other gods, right?''.

''Uh-huh?''.

''Why is that?'' I questioned, cocking my head at them ''Is it just a rule, or are your powers forcibly rejected when you try...?''.

Era spoke again ''The Creator has forbid it, putting ethereal preventions on it to prevent it from happening, and if it does our powers are rejected from influencing it''.

''So if you guys can't directly affect life and death, then what are their limits on affecting you guys? Reality in particular'' I explained before adding ''You said you control reality, but I'm guessing reality also encompasses life and death as well''.

Reality scrunched up her face into a thoughtful frown, piecing her words together ''Its... complicated. Think of it as they're stronger than me, and that they're powers can affect the life-and-death part of my power, but not the universe itself. Its like Life is water and Death is sunlight, while my power is soil. They're both needed to make a flower grow, and I'm a building block to support life. Without me and Era, the concept of life and death can't exist, but without Life and Death no living beings can exist either. We work together as a functioning system, that's the purpose of all gods; gears to make a functioning existence''.

''Ah'' I nodded again, smiling at both the younger girls ''Still, I think your powers are still pretty cool''.

Era blushed again, as she did when she got some kind of praise or attention, and Reality gained a light blush as she huffed, a smile playing her lips.

''Anyway, lets get started'' Reality said in a serious-ish tone ''We'll start with my powers, since they're the easiest to utilise for you. The best example would be that its kinda like your Semblance, except that you won't need to touch anything or use a piece of your soul to produce the same effect it has. However one downside to it is the fact that, since you're drawing on my power instead of your own, there is a limited amount of energy you can use before it will naturally recharge. Think of it like having an additional pool of Aura, that also goes for Era's, Life's and Death's powers''.

I nodded, letting her continue on ''So just picture your soul in your head, alright?''.

A light blue sphere appeared in my head as I didn't even blink ''Alright...''.

''Now if you 'probe' around, you'll feel what seems like small faucets, which is where our powers can be accessed. Death's and Life's won't be accessible, either not appearing at all or appearing to be locked/blocked''.

I nodded, picturing it in my mind and succeeding after nearly a minute. It was indeed like a faucet, and on a mental whim it twisted and disappeared, allowing a hot pink energy to become visible. I was brought out of my mental envisioning as I felt my cheek heat up slightly. Era, possibly somehow reading minds, raised a mirror from nowhere and revealed the core of the burning sensation; on his right cheek was a small pink flower, while on his left was a dark blue clock. Currently the flower was glowing dimly, and it was easy to make the connection to why it was doing so.

''Good! Now, try and make this ball become a bullet'' She said as she placed a simple tennis ball on the grass in front of her.

I nodded as I directed my gaze onto the ball, attempting to do the same as I did when I used my Semblance. Main problem though was the fact I normally held something, so trying to project my will onto something several metres from me proved more difficult than I originally anticipated.

Like always, I just sighed and continued.

* * *

 **A/N: So... how was that? We're approaching the end of season 1 of this story by the way. I won't stop it and post another story as the sequel, but instead I'll take a two to four week hiatus (maybe not even two weeks, I don't know) and then we'll move onto season two. I hope you guys have enjoyed what I've written so far, as at times I think the romance is a little iffy, especially when I compare it to others, but its the best I can currently do, and its not like I can exactly remove it since its already posted.**

 **Either way, the end is near~**


	13. Chapter 13: Mistral

**A/N: This chapter fought me so hard, I swear. But we've reached 3K Views!~ YAY~ WIGGLY LINES FOR ALL~~~~~~~**

 **A little tease for the chapter: Jaune. Take your guesses, and read ahead!~**

 **Quite a lot of line breaks this chapter since I decided to bunch up paragraphs into bigger ones, making it appear shorter. Sorry about that(?). It really fought me in the later parts of the chapter, but I'm glad its done. Season 1 end here we come~ (Probably in 1-3 chapters, not decided yet, currently _just_ started chapter 14 at time of posting).**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 13: Mistral**

* * *

A month had passed already, the wintery festivities now finally dying down. Operation Black Storm was soon to be in full effect, and as such classes were temporarily off as the incursion had been announced over an assembly at the amphitheatre. It was announced that three student teams would be paired with a Hunter/Teacher and would be sent to a specific location to locate and destroy an ancient Grimm, and would apparently add to their overall career review, meaning it would look good and they'd be more likely to get a higher ranking in the Hunter/Huntress world, though I guessed it was Ozpin's was of sweetening the deal.

Currently, his team, AREME and JNPR were assigned Qrow Branwen to lead us into the fray, going all the way over to Mistral into the Swamplands, directly in the centre of the 'Badlands' where Grimm activity was at its highest. The Badlands was an area in almost every continent of Remnant, consisting of a mass of Grimm that had made the area inhabitable for anyone who intended to stay for more than a few days. It surely showed as they flew over it towards a small settlement a fair distance from the Badlands where they would be staying. Everything below them was a dark, murky green. Dead, grey trees with no leaves on random plots of ground intermixed with pools and rivers of murky water, Grimm of land, sea and air origin mobile and rearing their heads up at us.

I tore my head away and down to my scroll as I looked at a dossier that informed us of all the information we would need, both for this incursion and about the area in general. The Grimm here were much more 'odd' than other locations, a large majority are expected to be mature, and quite a few to be extremely old. The landscape was dangerous, by way of drowning in the bog or getting trapped in natural traps. That's not including Dust-Grimm. I sighed as I silently scanned the information, putting it to the back of my mind before my attention was drawn to Ruby, who was sat beside me and also reading the information. She must've fallen asleep, as she was stretching in her seat and yawning.

''We're here'' Qrow suddenly said, standing up from his point next to the cockpit. I wanted to bring my own Bullhead, but Qrow had pointed out since this was to be an extended stay, and considering that it would be easy for some to guess what the ship was made from, it would not be worth it, especially since the Bullhead would have to flee quickly to prevent it drawing attention from the Grimm. Alexia and Nazai also didn't come, as I had left them with the order of training the men to use their weapons more efficiently, and Glynda Goodwitch would also assist them in Aura and general combat.

The side door opened and I steeled myself. Everyone adjusted and checked their gear once over before we all nodded to each other. Qrow looked us over once more and nodded, more to himself than anything, and jumped the few metres to the ground as I followed, swiftly followed by the rest of my friends. We all hit the ground with a dull thud. A few moments later the engines of the Bullhead roared as it took to the sky again, leaving us on a stony outcropping. We were deployed onto a small Cliffside mountain, the small village about fifteen minutes away surrounded by mountains while the marshlands were a few miles away from here.

''You ready?'' Qrow asked all of us and we responded with a solid nod, to which he returned with his own ''Then lets get going. The town isn't far, but Grimm are still around this area''.

''What kind of Grimm?'' Nora sang as she skipped next to Ren.

''Didn't you read the dossier?'' Weiss asked, but immediately shook her head ''You know what, never mind''.

''Nothing we can't handle'' Qrow answered simply but in a detailed tone ''Nevermore, but we're safe if we remain in closed areas. Deathstalkers, but they won't be too much of an issue. Boarbatusks, but they're rare at this altitude. Cacklers and Stalkers are our only real issue''.

Cacklers were the Grimm equivalent to what he presumed were Coyotes, except that instead of laughing it was more of a deranged cackle. They were a little bigger than the average Beowulf, but often if not always moved on all fours and were quite fast, have a terrible bite too. They're main weakness if their sides and underbelly, as its more of a charging type. Some had armour on the sides and rear, but only the older ones, and said older ones were often the Alpha and Beta. They travelled in packs of anything between ten and two hundred, making them more dangerous than Beowolves. They normally resided in mountainous areas, rarely leaving those places despite their bloodthirsty nature. They were considered to be an E-Class by themselves, but in a pack to be between D-Class to C-Class.

Stalkers were somewhat similar, but more in the form of a panther. They rarely grew any plating, even lacking the usual white mask, instead having a unique pitch-black one that mixed with their onyx fur. Their tails had a spike on them that was extremely quick, and they themselves were fast enough to outrun a Nevermore. They had no main weakness aside from the obvious target of the face. Despite the lack of armour their fur was as durable as a Nevermore's feathers, and they were incredibly fast in hit-and-run manoeuvres. Like Cacklers they tended to stay to the mountains, but they were less bloodthirsty than Cacklers, or at least as less bloodthirsty as a Grimm could be. They travelled alone mainly, being a D-Class on their own, but if by some unfortunate streak you ran into a pack of five then they were considered B-Class because of their incredibly speed and power.

I was brought out of my thoughts as I remembered we were moving, and quickly caught up with the others as we walked down a narrow path, flanked by high walls of stone on each side. We walked in silence, making idle chatter on the way, but Qrow remained silent. He took swigs of his flask every now and again, but otherwise his eyes were constantly darting to the high walls on each side of us. I did the same, following his example and keeping an eye out for any Cacklers or Stalkers, mainly the latter.

It took another ten minutes before we reached the town, a place by the name of Rockledge. As we followed the narrow passageway we were greeted by a large, steel gate. Two towers were built into the rock on either side with guardsmen on top, looking down at us and taking out a radio, talking to someone on the other end before calling out to us.

''State your name and purpose!''.

''A-Rank Hunter Qrow Branwen, accompanied by three student teams from Beacon Academy leading an attack for Operation Black Storm'' Qrow called back seriously. There was some murmurs and radio chatter, before the guard called back an affirmative and the gate groaned as it began to rise. Qrow quickly ushered us inside, and from the slightly elevated position of the entrance I could see the whole town. It was circular in shape with high mountain walls on each side, opening like a flower so to prevent anything from climbing up them. Even so there were high walls built upon them with towers periodically placed, along with dozens of anti-air cannons all over the buildings. Then again I guess it is warranted, since avian Grimm were probably the only type that would be a major threat. The town had a faint gothic style to it, but it was quite similar to Vale in terms of structures.

''Lets keep moving, we've got reservations at a tavern and we'll drop our stuff off before heading out'' Qrow grunted as he cast a look to the sun before proceeding. Nearly three in the afternoon already.

''Where are we heading first?'' I asked as I scanned the town around us for anything memorable.

''Its probably best we do some scouting of the forest below first, see where Grimm usually dwell and where most of them gather, that way we'll know where to avoid when we hunt down this so-called Ancient when we reach the Swamps''.

I nodded ''I see''.

We fell into silence then as we walked down the cobble streets of the town until we approached a modest, but not particularly notable hotel-style building. It was only two stories, but was relatively large and retaining the gothic-ish architecture of the town. We entered the modest building, but I found nothing of real note, other than it was mostly comprised of wood with a bar on one end of the room and a few sofas. A staircase presumably led to the room, situated in the corner of the room opposite to the door.

''Qrow~'' A slightly drawled, cheery and a touch flirty voice called. My gaze was drawn to the bar, or rather behind it, where a woman in her thirties stood in a typical bartenders outfit; white lightly-striped shirt, black vest and pants with the shoes. She had high cheekbones and bright azure eyes, cocoa brown hair falling behind her and over her right shoulder. She had a black bowler hat on her head and elbow-length black gloves, a sly smile and resting her chin elegantly on her right hand.

''Lavender!~'' Qrow called back in the same tone as we entered, a grin on his face ''You didn't tell me you'd be here, I thought I chased you out all those years ago''.

A soft, womanly chuckle answered his pseudo-question ''A 'Dusty Old Crow' chasing away the 'Magnificent Magician of Rockledge'? I didn't think you'd gotten senile in your old age''.

''I am not old!'' Qrow barked, but his smirk gave away his thoughts as he completely forgot about us, approaching the bar ''How've you been? Mistral treating you well?''.

''Oh you know, same old contracts every now and again'' She smirked ''After all, I'd like to stay young, unlike a certain drunk I know''.

''I'm not always drunk'' He complained, moving to reach his flask before freezing, as if remembering what he was about to do ''Eheh... not always''.

''How amusing'' She rolled her eyes with a fond smile before turning our gaze on us ''Hm? Bringing some students on a mission Qrow? How kind of you''.

Qrow rolled his eyes and grumbled something while Lavender reached under the counter before producing seven sets of keys and tossing them at us, landing on a table to Nora's right while she explained ''Keys have the numbers on them, two per room, pick and choose yourself''.

''Ren~'' Nora sang as she picked up one room key, hugging her partner, who merely sighed and nodded. Reality didn't say anything but grinned, wrapping an arm around Era who nodded, a faint blush coming from the physical contact.

''I'll bunk with Eien'' Ruby smiled innocently and I nodded.

''I guess I'll stay with Pyrrha...? I-If that's okay'' Jaune smiled sheepishly to his partner, who merely smiled and nodded.

Blake smiled over at Adam ''I'll stay with Adam''.

Weiss huffed ''So that leaves me with this brute?''.

''Hey!'' Yang yelled, mock-anger on her face.

''Go drop off your stuff'' Qrow called over to us, flask in hand (again) ''We'll leave in ten minutes''.

I nodded to him and picked a key at random, following the path Nora had dragged Ren towards the stairs, and if one looked closely they may have seen a cartoony trail of flames. I shook my head and followed after the duo, climbing the wooden stairs softly with Ruby beside me and the others trailing behind, making idle conversation. We found our room easily enough, as it was nearest the stairs in a long wooden, nicely lit hallway. Ruby unlocked the door as Yang/Weiss went into the one across from us, the elder sister sending me a look. She'd been doing that since we started dating really, and its always nice to see Yang looking out for Ruby, even if that also meant keeping an eye on me to make sure I didn't try anything to harm Ruby. Not that I had any trace of the thought of course.

I entered the room after Ruby, admiring the cosy feel of the room. It was square, as one may presume, all wood. Two simple beds were on either side of the room, standard white blankets and pillow, nothing special. In the corner of the room was a door with the words 'Bathroom' on it, a handy note. I unslung my small pack of items, mainly things like water and such, onto the bed at the right, sitting down on it with a sigh.

Alexia had said that the Ancient here was a two thousand year old Swamper to the others... but she had lied. I questioned her in private about it, and she revealed the target was a female human-Grimm by the name of Seraphim, who in fact was a transformed _Uber Titano_. I hadn't heard of it, and Port said nothing about it, so either it was just an Alpha version of a Titano, or if it was so rare that even Port didn't know about it. Regardless it was troubling. I wasn't arrogant, I knew that if this was true then even with all of us it was unlikely we could defeat her. But we could at least try, since it would be humiliating to all three teams if we fled without even encountering her. If it came down to it, me and Qrow would fight her. I didn't want to risk the others. Reality, Era and Adam could help, Adam because of his Semblance and Hunter-Grade skill.

Ruby flopped down on the bed next to me, sighing as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and basking in the warm sunlight that came through the glass window. She'd changed her attire not long before we left, wearing a long-sleeve, light grey shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over top of the grey shirt is a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resemble the lacing on a corset. She was wearing her relatively-signature red skirt with a large black-coloured print of her rose emblem on the side of it, and the inside of her skirt is black. She still wears her black stockings and black-and-red boots. A few pieces of metal arranged in an abstract shape are attached to her sleeve on her left shoulder, likely as a form of armour such as a spaulder. As usual, she was wearing her red cape with this outfit. I think she called it her 'Slayer' outfit.

I remained in my cloak-like outfit that I had changed into upon becoming the leader of the Monochrome Knights. I idly picked up my scroll from my pocket and opened it, scrolling to my contacts, and clicked on Roman's tab, fingers already moving to send a message.

 _Anything to note? Movements? Plans? Activity? Anything?_

Sending the short, vague message I turned my scroll into standby before pocketing it once more. Ruby leaned against me, humming as she had her headphones in, playing a song that had something to do with roses. I mentally shrugged it off and gently wrapped my arms around her, holding her to me in a gentle embrace as we relaxed for a few minutes, basking in the sunlight.

Sadly, it wasn't long before Qrow called from downstairs ''Alright kiddos! Time to get moving!''.

Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

* * *

After exiting Rockledge, it was a simple return journey out of the narrow passageway between the high mountain walls. When we exited near our starting position there was actually a ledge over the side of the cliff, which in turn had a rough natural stairway down the side of the steep slope. It showed off the majesty of the Mistralian mountainsides, a steep incline with spikes of rock and occasional cave entrances into the core of the mountain.

I whistled ''That's a nice view...''.

''I don't think Jaune agrees...'' Blake sweat-dropped from beside me, pointing to Jaune who looked like he was ready to bring up his breakfast, Pyrrha patting his back and laughing nervously. I chuckled and continued to admire the view, that is before the sound of hurling made the experience die off a little.

''I thought he had air-sickness?'' Reality asked with a cute frown.

''And a fear of heights as well, apparently'' Ren said, a small amused smile curling at his lips.

''Lets get going'' Qrow cut in seriously, but amusement also glinted in his eyes as he hopped off the edge and onto the platform fifteen feet below, his Aura easily taking the blow. Myself and the others followed suit, a dull thud coming from each of us as we impacted the ground. Without a word we all simultaneously began moving towards the path joined into the mountain, easily making our way down the slanted but non-steep pathway. We would probably reach the bottom in ten minutes, maybe longer.

Well we would have, if a yellowish _laser_ suddenly impacting the path hadn't occurred. It immediately collapsed the outer section of the path and we all fled to the inner section against the wall, but one of us wasn't as lucky.

''Jaune!'' We all called as the blonde knight was caught up in the falling debris, calling back to us in panic as he was swept under by the brown hail. I had to restrain Pyrrha from running after him and Yang did the same with Ruby as we waited, the shaking lessening until fully ceasing. Immediately I went to the edge with the others behind me, grimacing at the sight of the grey and pristine incline now having a brown streak down the side, rocks and boulders jutting about from the small landslide. Worst part; no Jaune.

A small orange twinkle from the forest was the only alert I got before another laser beam of orange energy smashed into the ground at our feet, but we were more prepared and managed to get back again before we were swept away under the stone and dirt landslide. I narrowed my eyes and seamlessly activated my Dunkelheit, increasing my vision and hearing, but I still couldn't make out anything after the beam disappeared, since it was too far away.

''We need to get down there, fast'' Qrow called seriously as he began running down the slope, and after a moment of hesitation we all followed.

''I'll go ahead'' I informed before activating my SchattenSchritt, essentially blinking twenty-five feet ahead. It really was like blinking, I realised as I repeated the action. Darkness would consume my vision, and after it fled I would be in my target location, meaning that unless I was targeting a moving enemy I could teleport behind them and know that I could strike them, even while the darkness bled from my sight.

I neared the bottom when I felt a searing burning in my side, followed by an explosion as darkness consumed me, and not in a SchattenSchritt either.

* * *

Jaune Arc was not lucky by any means of the name. He'd always find someway to fall behind others, even to the point where students from smaller schools like Signal could beat him. Hell Ruby was still technically a Signal Student because of her age, and she was nearly the best in their year, then again she was a prodigy so that probably explained it. Either way, he was as lucky as a gambler on the street, and that wasn't very lucky.

A _perfect_ example of this is when a _motherfucking laser beam_ comes from absolutely nowhere and crashes into the mountain, destroying the ground under his feet and sending him sprawling down the mountain. He tried to call out to his friends, by life decided to fill his mouth with dirt for that attempt. All he could feel was hurting all over, dirt in his mouth and eyes, and another beam of energy passing over his head. He didn't know how long he tumbled down the stony mountain, but when he stopped he couldn't move for several minutes because he hurt so much. Thankfully his Aura healed him, after about five minutes that is.

I groaned as I got to my feet ''Ow...''.

I was in the forest below, large trees with roots growing all over the place. I rolled my shoulders as I drew Crocea Mors, aware that Grimm were likely to have heard. I could see the mountain, so I could just walk alongside the mountain. Nodding to myself I began to tread towards where the path would drop off at. I only got thirty feet or so before a fallen tree blocked my path. Because of its positioning I had to go into the forest to get around it, so I raised my shield and tried to remain as quiet as possible as I walked.

I froze when I heard a growl, turned around and paled. Behind me was a pure-black Grimm, that or it was a very angry panther, but the crimson eyes implied which one it was. I backed up slowly, raising my shield and pointing my sword out around my shield as I backed up. Abruptly it shot at me like a bullet, and I grunted as I rammed into my shield, its claws digging into my shoulders and I yelped as I fell back. However I was surprised further when I hit something that felt like wood, but instead of stopping I fell through it, wind immediately whipping past me. The panther creature growled and acting on instinct I spun on the air, and I paled as I saw the rapidly approaching ground. The creature tried to bite at my head, but before it could fully manoeuver its head we impact the ground.

My whole frame shook and I cried out in pain as the nails in my shoulder dug in deeper, before the body under me went slack. I looked down slowly, trying to reign in my breathing at the dead panther creature, its back split open with blood and bones scattered about. I tore my eyes from it and grimaced, but remembered my training from Pyrrha and examined my surroundings. I was in a dark, damp cave that was the epitome of creepy. It was fairly well lit because of a hole in the ceiling where I fell from, illuminating the cave. A waterfall was in one corner of the room, filling a small lake that never seemed to fill up and almost glowed, but I dismissed it as the sunlight shining on it. So far; a creepy cave. Without any exits.

I sighed ''Fuck''.

A rapid clacking noise drew my attention to the other side of the cave, where a truly _giant_ Deathstalker stood, glaring at me.

''Double Fuck''.

* * *

When Eien's eyes fluttered open, all he saw was white for a long moment. He felt a faint surge of panic that he'd lost his sight - meaning Life herself would have to restore it - but that tiny amount of panic faded when the white disappeared. Spots remained in my vision, but they were slowly fading. Idly glancing down I cringed at my burnt cloak, part of my top missing and the skin a fresh pink. Wherever that laser came from must've, no, _definitely_ struck dead-on with me. The dull pain lingered, and the fading Aura from Life's Mark indicated that I was once again healed by her gift, something I was beginning to become more and more thankful for - I was basically becoming invincible, all things concerned.

Shaking those megalomaniac-ish thoughts from my head, I slowly sat up, careful not to move too suddenly, before getting to my feet. The world swayed dangerously, but my brain slowly corrected itself and my centre of gravity returned after a few moments. I pulled a bullet out from my vest and seamlessly transformed it into Judgement, swinging it around experimentally before scanning my surroundings. I was in the vast forest-come-incredibly-dense-forest below the mountain, after the beam presumably caused an explosion that knocked me off or something of the like. I'd have to be careful, as the Grimm in this area was probably double if not triple the difficulty of the ones near Vale.

I was assured of this when a low growl came from the forest and I easily found the crimson orbs of a Grimm, which as it left the bushes revealed itself to be a very large Ursa. It had a row of large spines down its back and was nearly reaching the canopy of the shorter trees. Its legs were fairly armoured too. I was about to engage it in a fight when I remembered the recently gained and relatively unused ability to create a Grimm Mask, so I eyed the Ursa's mask as it attempted intimidation, roaring at me while I create a recreation of the mask. The dark energy formed into a solid Ursa mask, and with haste I brought it to my face and heard it make a soft click as it locked on, despite there being no locking mechanisms.

I looked at the Ursa, who had now stopped, its gaze showing its confusion.

 _'Leave. Now'_ I ordered bluntly, testing its reaction. It hesitated, unsure. Was the mask really so effective in dissuading a Grimm, when it was very clear I was human? Or is it because of my lack of ability to feel fear that prevents them from fully identifying me as a human, so they choose to flee?

My question was left unanswered as it turned and ran, crushing trees in its wake. I left the mask on and reached out my senses with my Aura, a rather common technique done by anyone who had a modicum of control. My senses were pricked as I felt Jaune below surface level not far from here, about three hundred metres.

He wasn't alone.

And I didn't mean the Grimm with him.

I bolted as fast as I could.

* * *

Jaune let out a gasp of pain as he was sent flying across the cavern once more by a lazy swipe of the Deathstalker. He didn't know how old it was, since he only paid a limited amount of attention in Grimm studies and it was hard to identify them in the first place, but it was obviously several centuries, maybe even a millennium. It was huge and had armour all over, even on the underbelly. One of the biggest concerns was the flame-like Dust on its tail that it had yet to even use, and even though it had no decipherable expression, I had the feeling it was smirking tauntingly. It had barely used its tail, and I had yet to draw blood from it. Any attempts were met with cuts in its armour, but it forced me to back off before I could land a lethal blow. It was both annoying and terrifying.

I got to my feet, my vision swimming slightly as the fear came back once again, rising in my chest and making me light-headed from panic. Or the blood running down the side of my head, either one really. I raised Crocea Mors again, my shield in a strained grip and my sword barely clasped in my trembling fingers. I was going to die, I knew that, but dammit it would at least _mean_ something to die like a hero, and not a ragdoll! The others wouldn't die out like this. He was a leader, and if he died his team would be thrown into disarray. Especially Pyrrha. Nora and Ren had each other, but I was her partner, if I wasn't there...

A tingling sensation ran over my skin and I shivered slightly. Looks like the cold must be getting to me... great, so not only am I a ragdoll I'll die from the cold. Fabulous. I can't see any of the others dying out as pitifully as I was about to. Yang would take down her opponents with her, Ruby and Pyrrha wouldn't fall until all innocents had left the area, and even then they'd fight to the bitter end. Ren and Nora would either die together or avenge the other in a blaze/hail of glory. Blake and Weiss would go down fighting, taking as many with them as possible. And Eien? I honestly couldn't see him dying in the first place, but if he did I'd see him slaughter the entire enemy army before dying, as morbid as it sounds. And yet he'd die on his own, in a damp cave, to the cold and a Duststalker.

A glow drew my attention and I realised it was the Duststalker, its tail reared back as it glowed crimson, wisps of orange flames dancing off it occasionally. It was staring at me in _nigh-boredom_. A fucking Duststalker was _BORED_ of him! I glared back as I stumbled into the correct position, the tingling sensation of the cold far more apparent than it was before.

If I was going to die, then I was going down fighting, motherfucker!

It growled lowly as its tail reared back a few inches further, before jolting forwards as a fireball formed, screaming towards me with the roar of fire accompanying it. My body wasn't even using conscious action or thoughts, instead I let instinct take over as I raised my shield, the tingling of the cold even more apparent. The flames impacted with a furious 'clang' as the shield heated up, but it quickly faded into a warm sensation. I was pushed back, but I didn't stop. I roared in challenge to the Grimm as I charged, my whole body practically trembling as I felt stronger than ever before. I didn't dwell for a moment as I raised my sword.

Channelling the tingling feeling as a white glow surrounded me, I screamed with all my might as I swung, impacting its raised pincers and creating a _titanic_ arc of pure white energy that shot at the Duststalker. It screeched in pain as the beam struck it, but it died off in seconds as it was disintegrated. When the beam reached the end of the Duststalker it disintegrated into wisps of energy. I stared, panting and wide-eyed as I tried to understand why my Aura reacted in such a way... unless... it was my Semblance? Then again dad always said my great grandfather turned the tide in the war with his Semblance, which he channelled through Crocea Mors. Huh.

I grinned as I meant to take a step back, but the world spun, and all too soon darkness enveloped my vision.

* * *

I jumped out of my SchattenSchritt once again, ignoring the burn on my Aura as it cleared another thirty metres. I was about to take another step when the whole world shook like an earthquake and I stumbled, falling onto my front with a grunt. Without hesitation I got to my feet, glancing around for any Grimm, before continuing. A flare of Aura from Jaune made me worried that he'd been attacked by a Duststalker, or worse he found some Dust and made a last-ditch attempt at killing his opponents.

I conserved my Aura as I took to running the last seventy metres through the dense forest, any Grimm ignoring me - to my relief. The human Aura signature was closing in on him as his dwindled to almost nothing, but he was still alive and the Grimm was gone. I pushed my muscles to their natural limits as I jumped over a fallen tree, spotting a hole in the ground fifteen feet away. I used SchattenSchritt to clear the rest of the way, appearing at the top of the hole, and my eyes immediately narrowed. Jaune was unconscious, but a woman stood over him, who immediately turned their gaze on me the moment I appeared.

The person, presumably female, was wearing a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. An object that looks to be made from feathers hangs from the right side of her skirt. She also wears black, thigh-length boots with a red splatter pattern. Her most distinctive feature is a fearsome, full-face mask that resembles the face of a Grimm. The mask has four eye slits, further enhancing the character's inhuman appearance.

I jumped down immediately, pointing Judgement at her ''Back away from him''.

She obliged, slowly walking backwards, one hand on her blade. She said nothing, but I could make out crimson eyes behind the slits in the mask. I presumed they were eyes. We stared off for almost two whole minutes, with me standing between her and Jaune, and her staring me down. Eventually she turns slowly, drawing the blade.

''Who are you?'' I asked sternly, narrowed eyes not moving from her form. She didn't reply, but slashed at the air, creating a black and red portal. Teleportation? I couldn't let her escape, after all I didn't know if she was ally or foe, hell she could be Cinder's minion for all I knew, given the White Fang mask. She took a step towards the portal and I fired Judgement instantly, a bullet whizzing a few millimetres away from her chest, making her stop to glare at me ''Answer me''.

''I am an ally'' She said crisply, but didn't give me the answer I wanted.

''And how can I be sure of your word?'' I pointed out, Judgement still aimed at the portal, prepared to fire at her if she fled - presuming the bullet went with her that is.

''He is still alive'' She intoned, gesturing to Jaune.

''I got here before you could do anything'' I pointed out again, my free hand moving to my side as I mentally sent my intent to Eleanor.

She glared unwaveringly ''If you were an enemy, you'd be long dead''.

''Is that so?'' I quipped slowly ''Because you're wearing the mask of my enemies, so that doesn't put any points in your favour''.

She didn't answer. I had my answer though.

''You're coming back with me'' I stated as I summoned my Sigil, Eleanor rising from it as I did the same for Neo.

''I will not'' She retorted, a tad coldly.

''I thought you were an ally?'' I quipped as I prepared for a SchattenSchritt ''Allies don't run from allies''.

She snorted, amused ''Allies don't force allies to come back with them''.

''True'' I acknowledged ''But allies _don't_ force allies to come with them, because they wouldn't be allies otherwise''.

She narrowed her eyes, now understanding my wording.

''Eleanor'' I said slowly ''Engage, don't let her escape, incapacitate''.

Without waiting for an answer I activated SchattenSchritt and deformed in front of my now-partner, instead reforming to her side. She was mildly surprised, but her eyes shined with understanding of all things as she spun and blocked my strike from Judgement. I grunted as her foot connected with my stomach, forcing me to use SchattenSchritt to move a few feet back as her blade crashed down where I was, splitting the ground. Eleanor came in from the side as her Sai slid from her sleeves into her hands, but the mysterious woman reacted flawlessly, blade blurring and blocking the smaller blades with ease, and with a forceful shove knocked Eleanor back.

Eleanor charged in and I raised my hand, Aura flowing through to Fragment ''Insho: Juryoku''.

A black Sigil appeared above her, and gravity immediately intensified, and thankfully Eleanor move back before she was caught in the effects. The woman glared at me as she surprisingly raised her blade despite the gravity, so I repeated the chant and formed another Sigil above the first, making her drop to her knees with a gasp of pain as gravity was probably twenty times stronger than normal, but her glare remained. I wasn't done though, as I had yet to incapacitate her.

I moved to her front with a SchattenSchritt, hand raised ''Insho: Chikara''.

She was sent flying back into the wall behind her, but remained under the effects of the gravity.

''Insho: Raito'' I intoned as a pale blue Sigil appeared in front of me, and with great precision I controlled the flow of ice and it swamped her lower half in ice. Immediately I dismissed the gravity Sigils with my intent, dissipating into wisps of smoke. She glared at me as she struggled, but thankfully the ice held strong, everything below her waist - at the moment, including her arms - frozen, but wouldn't 'die' or get fatal frostbite for a few minutes, which was all I needed.

She glared at me as I walked up to her, arms struggling to move as I stopped a foot away. Slowly I raised my hand and grabbed the mask, and ignoring her angry threats, pulled it off. I was unashamedly shocked as I was faced with a Yang clone, down to her fringe style. Her eyebrows were a little higher and her hair wasn't the normal blonde I knew, but she looked like Yang regardless.

''What...?'' I said, mixed between shock and confusion. Logically speaking she might be a relative, as Yang had never brought up a mother or cousin, and she probably didn't have an elder sister, she wouldn't have forgot to mention her. I knew Ruby's mother was dead after going out on a mission, since she told me, but even Ruby knew only a little about Yang's mother, and that was that she left when Yang was young - just disappeared, never confirmed dead.

''My name is Raven'' She stated coolly, mixed between anger and resignation.

''Raven...?''.

''Branwen'' She replied with a fierce glare, and I was once again left stunned.

''So... that means you're related to Qrow'' I said slowly and was taken aback when she narrowed her eyes, but I saw _fear_ dancing in those crimson orbs.

''How do you know that name?'' She demanded.

I sighed, rolling my eyes ''What's with people demanding information from me? You could ask nicely''.

She glared, not amused '' _Please_ ''.

''One step at a time, I suppose'' I mocked lightly, before answering her question ''I know him because Professor Ozpin introduced us when I helped revive a special individual at Beacon''.

''...I see'' She responded, _slightly_ calmer, but still glaring.

''Welp, time to bring you back to Rockledge with me'' I smiled at her disarmingly ''If you'd drop your weapon, then I won't have to break your arm''.

She snorted ''I've had to deal with better threats than that, kid''.

I smirked ''Well I'm not against it, as I can heal the wound after, so its your choice - drop your weapon, or I'll break your arm and take it anyway. No harm will come to it, and I'll give it back to you later, but I just want to make sure you can't escape or will chop my arm off in the process''.

Raven grumbled something and I saw her release the sword from her grip under the blanket of ice, so I willed a specific part of it to melt and it obeyed, disintegrating into a dusty liquid and I reached in. I grabbed the sword by the handle and pulled it out, away from her grip before handing the sword to Eleanor, who had the slightest of difficulties of holding the large blade.

''Eleanor, take it back with you, don't let anyone touch it and stay by it at all times, and be prepared to bring it out when I call you'' I said sternly to Eleanor, who nodded as she disappeared into a Sigil, taking the sword with her. I moved to Jaune and put Crocea Mors in the correct position on his body, before gently hefting him up over my shoulder, careful not to hurt him. After that was done I moved over to Raven, dissipating the ice with a mental command. She didn't move immediately, staring at me as if trying to predict my actions.

''Turn around, hands behind you'' I ordered and she reluctantly complied. I pulled a bullet out and, after picturing it in my head, transformed it into a pair of handcuffs. I clipped them on, noting that I forgot to make a key or a way to unclip them since I hadn't needed to make handcuffs before, but overall dismissed the thought. She was older, stronger and more experiences than I was, so I had to be careful about this. I led her silently to the middle of the room where a hole in the ceiling was and created a 'blank' Sigil beneath me, and - as Weiss had showed me - slowly forced the Sigil to move. It was harder than it seemed, as the Sigil's were not meant to be moved after being placed. Moving it with my mind probably didn't help matters.

Still it worked, and with a low hum the plain white Sigil raised us into the air as it became solid enough to support our weight. I dismissed the headache I was gaining from the strain and waited until we were equal with ground level and off the Sigil before dismissing it, letting it fade from existence.

''That's quite an interesting Semblance'' Raven commented, nodding to the fading Sigil, arms bound behind her.

''That's not my Semblance'' I chuckled, amused ''Though people have mistaken it before''.

''Hm... an Aura Construction?'' She hummed, making idle chatter as she followed my slow footfalls back towards where I could make out the others, three hundred metres away. Raven didn't seem to notice.

''Aura Construction?'' I repeated, curious ''I haven't heard of those, and they haven't taught those at Beacon, at least not yet''.

''You're a student?'' She asked, actually seeming surprised.

I blinked at her, though she probably couldn't see it behind both the mask and my hood ''Of course. What did you think I was?''.

She shrugged ''A young Hunter, or a White Fang member, given the mask''.

''Oh, this?'' I asked, pointing to the mask ''It discourages the Grimm. I haven't experimented with it fully, but for the most part I can discourage most older Grimm, but the younger ones tend not to care and attack anyway - but they're easy to kill, so there's that''.

''Mm'' Raven hummed back, but her ruby eyes were calculating behind the re-equipped mask. Abruptly she stiffened as we entered a small clearing, eyes widening behind the bone mask as her whole body froze. I extended my senses and easily picked up the Aura of the others, about one hundred and fifty metres away, but Ruby was closing in at fifty metres... thirty... ten.

She burst through the treeline, weapon in hand as she locked eyes with me, smiling widely ''You're okay!''.

''Yep'' I smiled as she reached me, completely ignoring Raven as she patted the areas where the wounds were healed, but the clothes not ''It wasn't anything serious... I think, I was unconscious at the time''.

She sighed, putting her hands on her hips with an adorable pout ''Don't worry me like that...''.

I chuckled, ruffling her head and giving her a peck on her head ''You okay?''.

''Mm'' She smiled, pulling at the hem of her skirt before noticing Jaune and the other woman ''Uh...''.

''Raven Branwen'' I say, gesturing to the frozen Raven ''Jaune was unconscious when I found him, but he took some Grimm with him''.

''Oh... that's cool'' She smiled and turned to Raven ''Hi I'm Ruby!''.

Raven didn't respond at first, but uttered a quiet ''Hello...''.

''Ruby!~'' I heard Yang's voice call and once again Raven became even more stiff, even going as far as to try and struggle out of the handcuffs.

I frowned and locked eyes with the elder woman ''Don't bother, they're made from Adamantite, and there aren't any unlocking mechanisms - my Semblance is the only way out of them''.

She glared again, and I sighed as I placed Jaune on the ground ''And here I thought we were making progress...''.

Yang came bursting through the trees with Nora and Ren, cheerful until quite literally skidding to a stop, eyes wide. Qrow came a second later, also skidding to a stop as his crimson eyes widened dramatically. Raven took one step back and I immediately grabbed her by the arm, but she showed her strength as she dragged me with her in her unconscious movement.

''Really...?'' I drawled, annoyed ''I know I'm not the heaviest individual... but seriously?''.

''Raven?'' Qrow said quietly, walking towards us as Raven looked torn between running and freezing. Yang looked between remembering something and confused, so was ignored. The elder Hunter stopped a few feet away and Raven had finally stopped too, thankfully, and the two initiated a stare-off. We all waited in silence as the two siblings stared off, before Raven eventually sighed as she reached up and grabbed the mask, pulling it off and putting it on her belt. The moment her face was revealed, a quiet gasp spread throughout my friends and Yang's jaw dropped, but remained silent.

''Its been a while...'' Raven began, locking eyes with the taller Branwen ''...Brother''.

''It has'' He nodded, smiling lightly ''And it seems like a first year student managed to capture you... you haven't gotten soft, have you?''.

She twitched, annoyed ''He caught me off guard''.

''Its true'' I smiled politely ''I don't doubt she could defeat me easily''.

''Hmph'' Raven smirked smugly, before Ruby spoke up quietly.

''Um... why do you look like Yang?'' She said quietly, looking even younger than normal, like a lost child. Raven clenched her jaw and looked to Qrow, who gave her a stern glare. She responded with a pleading look and clenched fists, but he just continued with the look. They ended the silent conversation, Raven looking both annoyed and... worried.

''That's because... I'm her mother'' She said quietly, sternly, almost emotionlessly. Her reply gained the expected response of wide-eyed looks from everyone, especially Yang and by extension Ruby. I almost flinched when Yang spoke, but Raven did so, heavily.

''M-Mom?''.

Before any other conversation could start, Reality abruptly screamed ''Eien! Duck!''.

Acting more on instinctive reaction than conscious decision, I obeyed and managed to lower a few centimetres before an orange beam screamed past me, burning my shoulder and cheek as it nearly took my head off. I spun around and caught sight of a figure before it disappeared into the bushes, and I didn't hesitate to follow. I burst into SchattenSchritt towards them, reaching the treeline in a second and catching sight of the figure, but they were cloaked in the shadows of the trees.

Pure white eyes (without any iris, pupil, only silver sclera) stared at me. Glared at me even, before a palm was raised at me where an orange circle because present. It glowed before another beam shot at me, tearing through my side before I could move and making me gasp in pain, unable to muffle the noise. The person glared as they raised the other palm, and I rolled to the side, letting the beam pass me and explode against the ground behind me. I ignored my current wounds, seeing as they would heal soon, and swung Judgement at the hidden figure. They moved back and disappeared deeper into the forest, out of my reach.

I sighed as I clutched a hand to my side, blood running through my fingers as I stumbled back to the group ''They got away''.

''So that was the person firing the energy beams?'' Emerald asked, looking at my wounds and wincing ''Damn, you okay?''.

''Eh... it'll heal in a moment or two'' I shrugged. To emphasis this point my hand glowed as Life's Mark activated on its own, my wounds closing with a soft green glow and the burns fading, replaced by a cool relaxing feeling, like a cold pillow ''The energy is low though, so I doubt I can withstand any more wounds like that''.

''Eh? But it shouldn't be that low already...'' Reality frowned, walking up to me and taking off my gauntlet, examining the mark ''...that's odd... maybe because of the damage you took earlier?''.

''Maybe, the beam hit me in my side, so it might've pierced through multiple organs and came out the other end, possibly hit my lung if it aimed higher'' I shrugged nonchalantly.

She gave me a flat look ''You're an idiot''.

''Don't we know that'' Weiss and Blake mumbled, Ruby and Yang still apparently locked in shock as Raven looked back awkwardly.

''I survive'' I shrugged as I pulled out another bullet, picturing my cloak in mind before it transformed in a flash. I picked up my current cloak and let it disintegrate at my command, the soul shard inside having disappeared/melded with it long ago. I put on my reformed cloak, idly noting the blush on Reality cheeks, to which I raised a quizzical eyebrow at.

''What?''.

''Don't just get changed in front of others'' She berated, looking away. I just chuckled and ruffled her hair playfully, making her blush darken as she tried to swipe my hand away. I turned my gaze back to the others to find Yang and Ruby were both hugging Raven, who awkwardly just stood there, resting her head on Yang's head. I smiled and mentally pulled the shard back from the handcuffs, making them turn to ash. Raven seemed surprised, but when she spotted me she just smiled and gave a faint nod before wrapping her arms around both Yang and Ruby.

I walked up to Qrow, who was standing not far from them ''What do we do now?''.

''Probably head back to Rockledge, ask if they know anything about the laser-shooting Grimm'' He replied quietly, eyes distant.

''What about Raven? I have her weapon, but she could try teleporting with a red portal - but I don't think she'll leave without her weapon'' I replied even quieter as both me and Qrow subtly walked away from the group to speak alone.

''...I don't know'' He finally responded with a tired sigh ''Raven and I have very different views, and she left when Yang was a baby for some mission or another, so I don't know if she will stay to prevent breaking Yang's heart again, or if she'll continue to persist on her mission''.

I grimaced ''I don't want to see Yang or Ruby heartbroken... they've gone without mothers for years from what they've told me, and I only managed to beat Raven because I took her by surprise, so if she tried to leave I wouldn't be able to stop her if she had her weapon, or even if she's good enough with her fists''.

He sighed again ''I'll talk to her about it, lets just get back to Rockledge''.

''We've barely did anything and we're already retreating?'' I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

''Jaune's unconscious and I don't want any of you dead on me'' He shrugged ''Besides JNPR took a few blows on the way here, plus my word goes, so c'mon''.

I smirked ''Alright gramps''.

He glared ''If you weren't dating Ruby, I'd smash you into the ground for that''.

I chuckled ''Eh, I'd spar with you if you want to smash me around''.

He grinned ''Heh, I'll take you up on that later kid''.

''I await it'' I returned the grin.

* * *

By the time we returned up the hill, and me and Weiss elevated us back up to the towns' level, it was nearly five. The sun was already beginning to dip and basking the mountains in an orange hue. We returned to our accommodation and Pyrrha took Jaune back to his bed, and Ren safely concluded it was only Aura depletion, and he'll be fine. Raven came with us willingly, holding a quiet conversation with Yang and Ruby on the return journey.

Currently they were sat in the common area, on chairs or on the couches, all talking cheerfully and eating in the evening light. I was sat at the bar with Qrow, having finished a bowl of noodles and now drinking the same minty wine I had at Junior's. Must be a popular brand if an out-of-the-way place like this had it.

''You know I'm not legally allowed to sell that to you, even if you are a student'' Lavender drawled as I took a sip of my drink, savouring the taste.

''Eh... I got shot by a laser, gimme a break'' I chuckled, amused at the Huntresses' faux sternness ''Besides all students are allowed to drink anyway, and Qrow does it''.

''Point'' She shrugged as she gave a playful glare at Qrow ''You're passing on your bad habits to the youth of today''.

''...meh'' Qrow shrugged, only to get a whop on the head from Lavender ''Mean''.

''Its called discipline'' She snickered ''And you look like you could use some''.

''Oh yeah?'' Qrow challenged with a smirk ''You couldn't handle me''.

''Geez, get a room while your at it'' I rolled my eyes, smirking when I got both adults to splutter in embarrassment. I guess Yang was rubbing off on me.

''You've rubbed off on him too much Qrow'' Lavender grumbled, a blush still present on her cheeks as she went to clean a glass.

''I've only known him for less than a few months'' Qrow shot back, taking a swig of his flask ''Not my fault''.

''And its not my fault also that you two take so long to get a room'' I sniped back cheerfully, taking a sip as Qrow glared at me, but held no malice behind the glare, only embarrassment ''I believe Yang is an influence on my behaviour, so blame her''.

''Adda boy Eien!'' Yang called from the couch cheerfully, getting a grumble from Qrow.

''So... do you know anything about the attacks earlier?'' Qrow finally asked, quietly and the others didn't appear to hear, sans Blake.

Lavender hummed thoughtfully, twirling some hair on her finger ''Not particularly. Its happened before, but we've just presumed it was these Dust-Grimm that have been appearing... but its not, is it?''.

''It was human'' I confirmed ''I couldn't see much, but it had silver eyes - no iris, no pupil, just pure silver sclera''.

''That's odd'' Qrow frowned ''You're lieutenant said that it was an ancient Grimm, not a humanoid one''.

''Yeah well she lied'' I sighed ''She didn't want to panic us, so she told me in private - a humanoid Uber Titano''.

Both of the Hunters stiffened at the name, and I cocked a brow at them ''Something you'd like to tell me?''.

''Uber Titano haven't been seen in centuries'' Lavender said quietly, elegantly folding her hands to make a platform for her chin ''The name implies it all; they're similar to Titano's, but even stronger. Most don't know about them, and those who do like to keep their existence quiet. The lasers likely belong to it, as Uber Titano was rumoured to have such an ability, making them one of the strongest Grimm in existence''.

''Interesting'' I nodded slowly ''But why was it attacking us? It aimed for our group and ended up knocking Jaune down the mountain, but when I tried moving down the mountain I was struck directly by a beam, and later I was also a target... any particular reason?''.

''Maybe because you're one of the strongest?'' Lavender suggested with a smirk, getting an annoyed glare from Qrow.

''Qrow's stronger, same goes for Reality and Era'' I dismissed.

Qrow hummed, ignoring the compliment ''Maybe because you were wearing the Grimm mask?''.

''Maybe'' I hummed, looking at my palm ''Or maybe _someone_ wants rid of me before I can interfere with their plans''.

''You're obsessed with killing Cinder, you know that right?'' Qrow said dryly.

I looked away, clicking my tongue ''Am not... she's just too... evil, and I can't see her switching sides and becoming good. She's done crimes worse than the White Fang have in recent years, and if what Ozpin said was true then she likely has an equally evil overseer, meaning removing Cinder from the equation is the most viable option, no matter the cost''.

Qrow and Lavender didn't say anything, leaving it at that.

* * *

Outside of Rockledge, a lone figure wearing a black hood walked up towards the gate, head down. Their footsteps were quiet, coming to a stop outside the gate as tired and semi-drunk watchmen came to the front of the towers, looking down blearily at the figure.

''State your name and p-purpose!~''.

The figure smirked.

''Seraphim, A-Class Hunter, here to help with Operation Black Storm''.

''Geez another one? Alright come in...'' The man grumbled as the gate slowly began to rise, allowing the figure to enter. As the figure entered the town, her words carried through the air to unhearing ears.

''Fools... this will be your demise... for Lady Salem''.

Empty silver eyes scanned around the person, before leaving to a more secluded part of the town.

* * *

 **A/N: So~ How'd you like it? Things are picking up now and coming to the season end! Seraphim has been revealed, Eien captured Raven, Jaune awakened his Semblance and Operation Black Storm had finally begun!**

 **As a reply to your unasked question; Eien's ''Spirits'' (Neo, Eleanor, Doran, etc.) _can_ bring physical objects with them into his soul, but only for a limited time, otherwise they just get absorbed as it is the nature of his soul. Sorry if I'm making things overly complicated.**

 **Jaune's Semblance is relatively self-explanatory, but encase you didn't understand; he shot a beam of condensed Aura at the Deathstalker. Now obviously there will be other things it can do, as it will be quite a powerful Semblance since its Jaune's, but you won't get to see that until later.**

 **Seraphim will be powerful, that's a given. How powerful? Wait until later. Will Raven stick around? Who knows? I do. Anyone foresee what Seraphim's plan is? It might be obvious, or maybe not... meh.**

 **Thank you to all who have favorited, followed and reviewed! Its really nice knowing people like the story~**

 **Bai-Bai~**


	14. Chapter 14: Nothing is Eternal

**A/N: Quite a few teasing hints for the future, hopefully you guys pick up on it (probably will). Here we have the end of season 1, and I'll take a short Hiatus to write up some more chapters and, hopefully, write some for my Bleach fics, since they are in desperate need of an update, but I can't be certain.**

 **We've also reached 36 favourites and 37 followers _and_ 5k views! Thank you to all~**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 14: Nothing is Eternal**

* * *

Three days. That's how long we scouted the forest and swamps where Seraphim should be, but we had zero evidence of its existence. It was irritating. I couldn't pick up any trace of the Grimm-human either, so unless they were naturally disguised as a human instead of Grimm or not even appearing - the former always led to a dead end. Raven had stayed though, and after returning her weapon she still stayed, thankfully. I presume it was because she didn't want both Yang and Ruby to suffer the loss of a mother figure for the third time, but I couldn't be sure. She said she'd continue her mission, but would stay with us until the end of the mission at least with the promise of visiting. Hopefully I could convince her to stay like I did with the others.

I sighed quietly as I looked at the ceiling, the moonlight from the window shining down across the middle of the room. I rarely ever fully lost consciousness, usually just ending up scanning through the memories of the pasts of others for the majority of the night before I woke up early. The bathroom door opened with a quiet click as Ruby came out in her pyjamas, not even considering her own bed and instead coming to mine, snuggling against my chest. A smile spread across my face at the action, even as I ran a hand through her crimson and black hair.

''I wouldn't be surprised if you were a dog Faunus, with how much you like cuddling'' I joked lightly, getting a giggle from Ruby.

''It'd be awesome, I'd have little doggy ears'' She giggled and I chuckled in amusement as she raised her hands to her head, making an impression of having ears ''Woof~''.

''You're too cute Sweet Rose'' I chuckled and she blushed, but giggled along ''I wonder if we'll run into Seraphim again, or if they've fled?''.

''They shouldn't be too strong'' She hummed, playfully poking my cheek ''Especially since we've got the best leader ever~''.

I smiled ''And the best teammates ever''.

She giggled ''Yeah, our team's awesome''.

''Mm, get some sleep now'' I smiled as I pulled her into a comfortable hug, she hummed in reply as she closed her eyes. Several minutes later her breathing evened out as she fell asleep, and not too long after I also fell asleep, or into my usual state of semi-unconsciousness at least.

* * *

I tapped my foot impatiently as we waited for Qrow, Lavender wanted to come help us but she was talking forever, longer than Yang did with her hair. I sighed and occupied myself by sensing the Aura signatures of those around me, intentionally clouding my mind with memories to make it harder. It was a simple, but unique form of training I had devised myself, since it had - so far - proven to be effective.

The door swung open as Lavender and Qrow exited the building, the former locking it up behind her. Without a word Qrow and Lavender led us back towards the gate, and I swore I had the feeling I was being watched, but I couldn't sense anyone or see anyone. I ultimately dismissed it as I followed the veteran Huntsman out of Rockledge, into the narrow passageway and out into the open once more.

''Damn~'' Lavender whistled as she looked over the edge of the cliff ''I see what you mean, its like my first year at Haven''.

Ruby looked at her curiously ''What d'ya mean?''.

She grinned ''Heh, back then I was still testing the limits of my Semblance... and I may have blown up half of a mountain, by accident of course''.

''How does one blow up a mountain _by accident_?'' I deadpanned.

''By creating a fireball mixed with lightning and spinning a whole lot'' She grinned widely, patting my head as she passed, getting an annoyed twitch from me. It didn't happen often, and most the time I uncaringly ignored the remark, but subtly jibbing at my height was not a favourite of mine. Probably went for every short person out there.

''See you at the bottom'' Lavender winked at us before _jumping off the edge_. Even I blinked owlishly and immediately moved to the edge, and I shamelessly gawked as she _started flying without wings_.

''She's flying'' Yang said evenly ''She. Is. Fucking. Flying''.

''I wonder if I can fly?'' I tilted my head, immediately getting a resounding 'No!' from my friends, however I persisted ''No I'm serious, my Semblance allows me to effect _matter_ , my body is _made from matter_. Doesn't that mean I could technically make my body into oxygen or something and... fly?''.

Qrow cut in sharply ''Maybe, but I recommend talking with Ozpin about it, last thing we need is you turning into a cloud and flying away''.

''Hm'' I hummed, nodding ''Whatever you say, Ossan''.

He looked at me weirdly ''What?''.

I smirked, looking at Reality who giggled before she answered for me ''It means 'Old Man' in an old language''.

Qrow glared ''Son of a-''.

''See ya~'' I smirked and used SchattenSchritt to move a few feet backwards, avoiding his punch at my head. With a mock-salute I began repeatingly using the technique, transforming the downward trip into an impromptu training session, beginning my descent.

I missed the silver eyes watching me from a distance, before the person disappeared with the wind.

* * *

''How many times have I told you? We need to help them before one of them gets seriously wounded, Oum forbid dead!''.

''I know you're concerned _*****_ , but we have to let them grow on their own, otherwise they'll remain children when _she_ arrives''.

The first person sighed, running a hand through their hair stressfully ''I know, I know... its just not fair. We both know what Seraphim is capable of, and in her territory she has another advantage''.

''Well...''.

''What are you thinking?''.

''If she were to, I don't know, attack Rockledge-''.

''*****! You cant be seriously considering sacrificing innocent civilians for the sake of bringing down one of _them_!'' The first yelled furiously, making the second wince.

''I know it _sounds_ bad, but its the best option''.

''I...''.

''You know I'm right''.

''...That's what I find annoying, you're always right, whether its in a fight or a conversation'' The first grumbled with an annoyed scowl, making the second smirk victoriously, before falling back into a serious look.

''Anyway, lets just watch from a distance'' The second decided, getting a sigh and a nod from the companion.

''But... what if _she_ shows up?'' The first asked hesitantly.

''She won't dare leave her territory, not when Ozpin is still alive. They'll be fine, and if Seraphim is too strong, then we'll intervene''.

* * *

The forest stretched on forever as always, but I meaninglessly trudged with the rest of my team as we 'patrolled' the area. Lavender and JNPR were checking out a rocky valley that could potentially hold some value, and AREME plus Qrow were in the swamps a few miles out, Raven tagging along. Qrow had told me to message him if anything occurred that we wouldn't be able to handle, and that he'd be over in minutes if it was - leading me to believe he had some kind of teleporting Semblance or high-speed movement Semblance if he was able to clear the distance that quickly.

Shaking those thoughts off I continued walking through, my team behind me with their weapons lazily holstered, wary but bored. I could say the same too, even as I held Judgement in one hand my other was periodically summoning the strange black energy up and creating another Grimm mask, placing it on my face and waiting for it to crack and crumble. Currently the average time limit was fifty seconds.

A small flash drew my eye and I narrowed said ocular appendages, narrowing my focus down to the small glint. It looked to be metal, so not Grimm, but judging from the vines it was likely a facility of some kind - I've heard of them, testing facilities for dangerous kinds of Dust. I pointed it out to my friends and they gave me a 'check it out?' look and I nodded, trudging through the thick grass and vines towards it. I passed around a fallen tree and clicked my tongue in _faint_ awe at the sight of it. The metal was a Dust-infused with a blue-ish tint, I knew this from the many Atlas magazines I read back when I was younger, and this stuff was _expensive_.

The Schnee Dust Corporation logo was on the side of the building, and below it were a pair of sliding doors, or what was left of them. They were closed, but they had been caved in... or rather _outwards_ , towards us. I felt a chill run down my spine at the sight of it, it was honestly like something from a sci-fi horror film; it indicated something _had_ been contained, and escaped. Possibly Seraphim, or something else? Shrugging, I walked up towards the doors, switching Judgement to sniper form just to be safe.

''Anyone getting a creepy vibe?'' Yang said with a nervous laugh.

''Mm'' I only grunted as I slid between the gaps, easily wide enough for a Beowulf. At my gesture my companions hesitantly followed. The small lobby we found ourselves in was painted white, looking like an eerie hospital with the dull crimson lines on the ground turning down the corridors. Vines grew on the walls and roof, obscuring our vision slightly. Lighting was minimal, but not dark enough that we couldn't see anything. A Grimm would be able to ambush us, but we had _just_ enough light to see it coming. Small holes jutted in the walls and floors, joined by claw marks and very old blood, showed by its dark, nearly black colour and looking like it was painted on.

''Weiss, do you know anything about this place?'' I questioned, not even bothering to look at her. I had to be on guard in this place after all.

''Not particularly. I do know it had something to do with Dust, obviously, but it was also a place of experimentation'' She bit out the last part acidly, making me pause to look at her.

''Experimenting with Dust?'' I asked quietly. She grimaced, shaking her head and mumbling something incoherent ''What?''.

''Dust, Humans and Grimm'' She repeated, her twisted face showing her great disdain for it. Ruby and Yang sucked in breath, and Blake paled. I shared a look with the Faunus ninja, and silently I prayed it wasn't Faunus-exclusive, else Blake will have a fit... or worse.

''I see'' I nodded, transforming Judgement and doing a single, quick sweep with it to cut the vines before changing into its compact form. I sighed as I walked up to the nearest wall and placed my back to it, moving and peek my head round the corner, nothing. It was unnatural. Not that I was expecting Grimm to be littered throughout the facility, but it had this vibe that spelled trouble, but also enticed with the promise of answers. I was about to call out to my team when I saw something move and I froze, holding a hand out to them, signalling them to be quiet.

Because of the lighting the figure was fully black, and vaguely humanoid. One side looked more bulky than the others, but it was hard to say. I couldn't make out any crimson eyes, so that was a good sign for now. Still the figure limped slightly, before pausing, idly standing there before moving down another corridor, leaving my sight. I turned and was mildly surprised when I saw my team had also been watching, our heads stacked atop one another comically. Thankfully we didn't fall, instead carefully and quietly dislodged ourselves.

''The hell was that?'' Yang whispered quickly.

''I don't know, Grimm?'' Weiss responded, unsure.

''Never seen one like it'' I added. Before I could add anything else I heard a low 'clak-clak-clak'. Instincts from fighting Deathstalkers kicked in as my eyes darted all around us, finding nothing. I peeked around the corner, but found nothing either. I heard the sound again, but found nothing in my sights, so hopefully whatever it was wasn't coming closer, or even more hopefully it wasn't even a living thing.

''Hear that?'' I whispered hastily and I noticed, subtly, that the pitch had increased. Definitely getting closer.

''Lets just get the hell out of here, _whatever_ is in here isn't worth waiting around for'' Yang grumbled as she got up, hunched and striding towards the door. Blake and Weiss immediately followed, and I helped Ruby up before following, my eyes trained on the only hallway in the room. As we backed up, the clanking noise increased gradually. When Yang got out, it was closer, and a cold feeling of dread settled in my stomach as I _sensed_ something coming, and judging from the look on Blake and Weiss's face, they also picked it up as they quickened their pace.

Just as Ruby got out, the source of the clanking became apparent to me. It was a _human_... I think. It had the body of a human with a hospital gown on, but her face, chest, arms and hands were covered in black fur, crimson eyes glaring at me as a mad grin stretched across her face to the point of splitting her face. Her nails were the source of the clanking, long ivory spears that were as long as Jaune's sword each. They tapped together idly, creating the horribly eerie noise as she tilted her head at me, grin never falling from her face. Her legs were so pale and skinny it was a miracle she was still standing... but she clearly wasn't human.

Silently, I reached up with slow, watchable movements. The _creature_ watched curiously, tilting its head the other way as I created the ball of dark energy and formed it into a mask, before clipping it onto my face. Slowly, I raised my gaze to meet the creature, opening my mouth...

...only for a strangled grunt to escape my lips as I felt my nerves scream in pain. I looked down slowly... to find the woman's nails in the centre of my collar bone, I looked up equally as slowly, seeing the twisted grin on her lips. Surprisingly she had not moved, instead her nails _extended_ and pierced me like an extendable spear. I stood there for a few seconds, not fully comprehending _how_ her nails did that, before with a soft _whizz_ the nails retracted with the speed of a bullet. The pain struck and I stumbled, but survival instincts kicked in and I bolted it over the ledge where my team had been frozen in shock. I immediately turned and fired Judgement, hitting her chest, but only creating a hole in her chest, which she ignored.

I roughly and haphazardly reached for a Blood-infused Earth Dust Crystal. Implanting my will for a thick oak tree, I shoved it into the ground at my feet and backtracked, dragging Yang who had yet to break from her stupor. The others also got back, unsheathing their weapons and waiting. The creature inside _cackled_ , but it was muted as the tree rumbled into existence, as tall as the facility. I grimaced as I realised my wound was being healed by Life's Mark, but because of the low amount of power in it, it was slow... and oxygen was becoming a problem.

I fell to my knees to lessen the pressure, pushing my Aura to the wound in an effort to speed up the regeneration. It worked, but breathing through a gap less than a straw was painful and panic-inducing, not to mention my friends around me also panicking. When my oxygen returned I sighed, flopping onto my back as I heaved in air, Weiss on my left and Ruby on my right, Yang and Blake apparently looking out for Grimm.

''Idiot'' Weiss muttered while Ruby just looked at me with a 'Not again' look. I chuckled lightly as I breathed deeply, regaining the lost oxygen and regaining my composure and mental stability. Wouldn't do any good to go into a panic. Weiss helped me to my feet while Ruby pulled out her scroll, probably sending a message to Qrow. I sighed as I looked back at the building, still hearing the incessant clanking inside.

As soon as possible we left, with me having a mental note to return later, unaware of silver eyes watching me.

* * *

''Guys'' Ruby abruptly broke the silence, making us pause in our return walk up the mountain to look at her ''Uncle Qrow said... Good news: We got a lead on Seraphim. Bad news: we pissed off a _lot_ of Grimm. And we're coming your way with JNPR''.

''Oum dammit'' I sighed, face-palming as I unslung Judgement again ''Lets just head towards the base of the mountain-''.

The end of my sentence was cut off as the whole world shook, and a truly enormous explosion at the top of the mountain erupted. It grew into the size of a dome as a shockwave of wind blew past us, knocking Ruby off her feet and making me stumble. I blinked owlishly at the sight, before it clicked in my head that this mountain held Rockledge, and that thought brought a curse out of my mouth.

''Shit...'' Yang summed up pretty well.

''...lets go, now'' I said sternly ''Ruby, send a message to Qrow''.

''On it'' She nodded, fingers tapping away as we all began sprinting up the mountain.

''I'm going ahead, see if anyone's alright'' I explained and my team nodding, understanding. I nodded back and activated my Dunkelheit, and immediately moved into a SchattenSchritt. I cleared thirty-odd metres, before I took off in another burst. When I reappeared Ruby took off next to me, disappearing in a burst of rose petals and appearing ahead of me. I chased after her, clearing to the top of the path and up onto the ledge and joining Ruby. The narrow pathway was still intact, but it no longer ended in a gate. I took off, Ruby not far behind as we closed in on the end of the pathway in seconds.

When we reached where the gate once stood, I froze in surprise at the sight before me, Ruby in a similar predicament. The town was totally and utterly _gone_ , only a smoking crater was left, the grey rock singed black nearer the centre. In the centre however, stood a person with full silver eyes, Seraphim most likely. It was, presumably, female judging from the slight mounds on the chest and figure.

She wore black leggings, a black bodysuit with purple designs swirling all over it with the cloth stretching to cover her arms fully, the fingertips white. On her head was something that vaguely resembled a helmet, being an almost oval-bowl shape on each side of her head and black in colour with a stripe of white diagonally across it, protecting the sides of her head. Her face itself was pale, skin an ivory colour, nearly as white as snow. Her lips stood out because of their black colour, a red line on each eye that started about her eyebrow and stopped below her eye, like the red marks on Grimm masks. On her forehead was a small, crimson gem, standing out against her white skin and silver hair. Some purple construct was on her back, but I couldn't tell what it was.

I took a step forward ''Seraphim, I presume?''.

Silver eyes stared back emotionlessly ''Indeed I am, human, but who might you be?''.

''Eien'' I replied coolly, slowly walking towards her, Ruby not even needing to be told not to intervene yet. Perhaps I could bring her to my side, after all if she was this powerful, then it would be a great assistance against Cinder and Salem ''So... any particular reason for destroying the town?''.

''To get closer to my objective'' She responded crisply, face remaining as blank as my own.

''Which is?''.

''I see no need to inform you of it'' She denied smoothly.

''I see'' I responded as I levelled Judgement at her, already in blade form ''Then we are enemies, unless you care to join my side?''.

''I will not abandon Lady Salem'' She retorted with disdain, making my eyes narrow.

''Very well'' I said before firing. She didn't move an inch from her spot, instead leaning to the left and allowing the bullet to travel under her arm and into the other side of the crater. I used SchattenSchritt to get close to her, making her eyes widen slightly, and swung down at her shoulder.

However I was unashamedly shocked when the blade failed to puncture her, instead clanking against her skin like I hit steel, which was surprising considering that Judgement had been reformed with Adamantite. She didn't even wait for a second before I found her fist buried in my stomach, the surprising amount of strength behind it enough to shoot me back into the ground a dozen feet back.

''Idiotic move, child'' Seraphim taunted/chided ''Is this what Lady Salem warned me of? You don't seem any different to you fellow humans''.

I grumbled, getting to my feet ''Does every major figure know who I am or something?''.

''I would not be surprised'' Seraphim answered, her face barely having twitched a muscle in emotion. She snapped her fingers, and a few seconds later a dozen caws were heard as a flock of Nevermore came from the clouds, as if they had been waiting amongst the clouds. They all began circling the mountain, and their eyes flickered between myself and Ruby, before deciding on the latter.

''Ruby, go to the others'' I called out to her hastily, and she nodded, sending me one last glance before disappearing in a flurry of petals, an onyx feather taking her place a moment after. I turned back to Seraphim and glared, Dunkelheit already having activated subconsciously, and raised a palm to her. A simple mental image brought up a red Sigil, which glowed instantly.

''Insho: Kasai!'' I barked, sending two worms of fire towards Seraphim. She was surprised, eyes widening and she actually dodge-rolled to the side, the flames impacting where she stood. Before I could angle it to chase her, she raised her left hand and revealed an orange circle on palm, which glowed before the same laser from before shot at me. I immediately dodged to the left, letting the Sigil fade as I did so.

''Interesting'' Seraphim remarked as she got to her feet once more, and I did the same, glaring at her as she returned the glare with her pupil-less eyes ''Interesting indeed''.

''Enough talk'' I grunted as I used SchattenSchritt to get behind her, also revealing the purple construct. It appeared to be folded up wings, but I couldn't be entirely sure. Regardless I swung Judgement, succeeding in cleaving through the softer flesh and making Seraphim gasp in pain. Before I could even blink however she spun and a laser burned through my shoulder, making my own pained gasp escape my throat as I was sent tumbling back again. I barely stopped rolling when I was forced to dodge again, my Aura working to seal the hole in my shoulder.

''Insho: Juryoku!'' I barked as a large black gravity Sigil appeared beneath us, increasing the gravity ten-fold. I probably only felt it four-times over, as I was not exempt from its effect but still reduced it naturally. Seraphim grunted but remained remarkably able as she fired another laser, forcing me to roll out of the way before taking off into another SchattenSchritt. I reformed behind her formed a Sigil, my palm resting against her back.

''Insho: Raitoningu'' I intoned as multiple spears of lightning shot out at her back, making her screech. I ducked under her bullet-time retaliation, but was unprepared for the elbow striking my jaw, followed by a hand grasping my neck and slamming me into the ground, knocking the air from my lungs. Unable to move, she easily blew a hole in my stomach with another one of her lasers, making my breath come out in a gasp.

''I-Insho: H-Han Juryoku!'' I gasped out, and immediately an ivory Sigil appeared beneath us as gravity was inversed. I deactivated it the moment she was forced to let go of me, allowing me to regain some air as my Aura worked overtime to regenerate my wounds. My Aura was still mostly full, around 90%, but was still steadily dropping from being forced to regenerate my wounds when Aura is not normally meant for it.

 _'Neo, Eleanor, could really use your help right now'_ I mentally called, not calling Doran as he was occupied with a task I assigned him.

 _''Of course, father''_ Eleanor dutifully responded and Neo gave a feminine grunt. I raised my palms outwards and summoned the duo, their forms rising from the grey Sigils coated in black before it melted away. The duo sent a glance my way, before nodding at each other in an unseen message, showing the coordination they possessed.

''Lets go!'' I barked, changing forwards as the two girls followed.

* * *

How did things go south so quickly?

The mountain-top had become a full-on battleground now, with Nevermore cawing and flying around in the skies and Beowolves climbing up the hill, Stalkers creeping and lunging from the shadows. The only reason they were still alive was their overall strength of three first-year teams and three badass Hunters/Huntresses. They had been forced to move away from the original location outside of the crater that was Rockledge and into a flat part around the right side of the town a few lower than the original area.

Raven slashed at a Deathstalker, cracking its shell only for it to be fully shattered by Nora, who's hammer came crashing down on its face, killing it. Yang was unleashing mass destruction against the Beowolves with Ruby, the two of them fighting individually but absolutely tearing through their forces of unending Grimm. Qrow and Lavender worked in tandem against the heavier foes like Ursa and Stalkers, respectively. Weiss was supporting the team and picking off the odd Grimm that made it past their defences with Ren while Pyrrha and Jaune tried clearing a way towards Eien's location, but the masses of Grimm didn't let up. AREME worked with surprising teamwork, with Adam dealing heavy blows, Mercury and Emerald distracting and Reality and Era shooting motherfucking beams of pure Aura at the Grimm.

''Not much longer!'' Raven called out to the rest of them as she slashed an Ursa down its front, its body falling back down the side of the mountain, which was not as steep as the other side judging from the mass of Grimm climbing it ''They're slowly giving up!''.

''Joy!'' Qrow called back sarcastically as she slashed through two Beowolves ''Because my muscles are killing me!''.

''Lazy ass'' Lavender commented dryly as she flicked her wrist, sending a dozen orange marble-sized objects down the hill, causing them all to explode into domes of flames.

''Coming from a fucking wizard''.

''I wish I was one, these babies are Dust'' Lavender rolled her eyes ''...and I'm nearly out, shit''.

''Language'' Qrow sniped cheekily.

''WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT! SHUT UP!'' Weiss barked irritably, annoyed by their distracting banter.

''Prissy'' All three adults muttered, making Weiss's eyebrow twitch.

''Incoming!'' Jaune cried as he raised his shield, Nevermore feathers shooting around him, one bouncing off his shield, proving its sturdiness. Several others followed his example, while others either avoided or even cut through the feathers.

''These things are annoying'' Reality commented with a huff as she closed one eye, raising her arm like it was a rifle and fired, the purified Aura shooting out of her palm like a sniper and striking the avian Grimm in the head, killing it instantly.

''Nice'' Emerald smirked.

''I know right?'' Reality giggled, sniping another bird from the air ''Its like Duck Hunt''.

''Duck Hunt?'' Mercury asked curiously, snapping the neck of another Beowulf with only his legs.

''Meh, something from where I come from'' Reality lied smoothly, dodging another Beowulf ''Its pretty easy, you just shoot the ducks and-''.

''FOCUS!'' Weiss yelled at them ''Am I the only one taking this seriously!?''.

''Meh'' Everyone responded in unison, making the heiress fume. The silence stretched then, the only noise being that of the Grimm as they attacked. They were being attacked from two sides, one from the less-steep hill and from the mountains around them. Stalkers and Cacklers came from the mountains while Beowolves, Deathstalkers, Ursa, Griffons, Nevermore and other types of Grimm coming from the forest below.

It was easily apparent that this was not a natural amount of Grimm, meaning that Eien and Seraphim were drawing their attention, so they had to draw the attention and stop them from going to Eien. They hoped he would be okay.

* * *

I appeared behind Seraphim and slashed, but once again she spun and blocked the attack with a growl. Her back was her weak point it seemed. Eleanor came in from her side and lunged with her Sai and pierced the Grimm-Human's back, making her hiss before back-handing Eleanor away into Neo, sending both of them tumbling. I took advantage of her distraction and shoved my knee into her stomach, making her grunt. Like Aura her armour was not immune to blunt trauma, only cutting. I grabbed her throat and shoved her to the ground, slamming her down making her gasp as I attempted to choke her out.

It was not to be, as she haphazardly aimed her laser and shot, barely missing my heart and instead burning the side of my ribs, making me hiss. I put all my strength into a punch and broke her nose before hopping backwards, Judgement laying at my feet. Fragment certainly helped my hand-to-hand skills, since it was made from Adamantite. She had no weapon aside from her lasers, so as long as I didn't give her the opportunity to aim I was good. I'd call Yang and ask for her to help, but the major problem was that if she took a hit like I tended to do, then she'd likely be incapacitated, and she could bleed out if I didn't get the time to heal her. I knew she, along with all my friends, were strong, but I didn't like seeing them get hurt.

I dodged under an abrupt blow as cast at me with her elbow, only to take a knee to the face. I stumbled back and barely rolled out of the way of a laser shot. Neo appeared behind the girl in a shatter of glass via her Semblance, and stabbed Seraphim in the back with her katana, umbrella in the other hand. Seraphim screeched and swung behind her haphazardly, but Neo used her short stature well and ducked, slashing at the back of Seraphim's legs and making a small cut. Seraphim spun back to me and lashed out angrily, preventing me from attacking and forcing me to defend and dodge as she attacked.

''You... are by far the most annoying individual I've met'' She scowled as she cleared some distance between us.

''I believe I might say the same'' I countered slyly, Neo and Eleanor splitting up to surround her ''What purpose do you have here at Rockledge, Hm?''.

She glared heatedly ''This area is my home''.

''But not the town'' I countered, and she smirked.

''You have no idea, do you?'' She whispered until I could barely hear her, but the grin didn't leave her face.

''Enlighten me'' I said with narrowed eyes.

The smugness on her face was evident ''You'll see''.

I grunted in annoyance at her, but surprise overtook my features when she opened both palm and pointed them downwards and fired. Unlike previously these beams were pure onyx black in colour, and burned through the rock like fast-acting acid. Still stunned at the action, I only watched for another ten seconds before the beams became fiery red-orange, exploding at the bottom of the holes she dug. I flinched at the shockwave and jumped back, using a Sigil to help me while Neo and Eleanor ran backwards as the centre of the crater collapsed under them, Seraphim landing on the edges of the now-present hole.

''What...?'' I questioned, unsure of why she collapsed the inner part of the mountain. An unearthly, ear-shattering roar answered my question as even more of the ground caved in, the sound of wings flapping hinting at the source of the sound. I grimaced as a rather thin, but still intimidating Dragon Grimm, otherwise known as Draconis, came flying out of the cave. It was thin with its claws on the wings instead of arms, but the tail had a club on it to make up for the lack of arms. Despite its lithe-looking form, it was undoubtedly just as tough as other members of its species.

''Shit'' I summed it up pretty well as the Draconis got airborne, roaring against and sending visible shockwaves through the air. I stumbled slightly but remained upright, unlike Eleanor and Neo who fell onto the ground because of their footwear. I gave an annoyed glare at Seraphim, who only glared back, as if in both challenge and smugness. The Draconis just hovered idly before turning its gaze to me, crimson eyes glaring. My mask was donned already, but it didn't seem to dissuade it or make it hesitate like it did other Grimm. This could either be because of its massive advantages compared to me, or because Seraphim had some hand in it, whether she was controlling it or not was unimportant.

''I believe this is where we part ways, Eien'' Seraphim stated, smugness radiating off her as she began to walk towards the dragons outstretched tail. I scowled and raised my palm, Aura flowing through my veins angrily as if it was a sentient part of my subconscious. That's new.

''Insho: Juryoku!'' I barked and summoned _three_ of the Sigil above the dragon, increasing the gravity by thirty times. The effect was instant. The Draconis screeched as it was suddenly plunged down back into the inner cave of the mountain, taking Seraphim with it. Without hesitation I jumped down after the duo, cancelling the effect of the triple Sigil with a mental whim while de-summoning Neo and Eleanor at the same mental gesture. As I raced down towards the ground I shoved my hand into the wall, grunting as my arm was nearly torn from its socket as it significantly slowed my descend, Fragment preventing my hand from being damaged.

As I reached the bottom I jumped off the wall, going full-out from the start and aiming for the dragon. It made a whiny-groan as it raised its head, having fallen on its front and damaged both of its wings. I slipped out an Ice Dust crystal and cut my finger with the sharp edge of it, letting my blood change it with ease. I landed on the head of the dragon and without pause shoved the crystal into its crimson eye, making it roar in pain as the crystal shattered, the black ice already beginning to spread like a virus. Regardless of how powerful a Grimm was, _no_ Grimm out there is invulnerable, and most can be killed by destroying the brain. In this case, the ice will slowly freeze it and then kill it. I'd have to wait a few minutes, but it'd get the job done without effort on my part.

I jumped off its thrashing form and lunged at Seraphim with Judgement. She caught the blade with her hand but I carried my momentum and spun around her, whipping out Punishment and immediately pulling the trigger three times into her back, making her howl in angry pain. I took a punch to the stomach but ignored it and wrapped an arm around her neck, attempting to choke her out. She struggled momentarily before aiming her palms towards me, forcing me to let go else my arm get burned off. I scowled as I whipped out a Fire Dust and repeated my acting with the ice one, letting my blood transform it. Before it finished transforming I used SchattenSchritt to get behind of Seraphim and jammed the crystal into her back.

''Bastard!'' She screeched and I winced at the sound, only to find something impact my side and send me hurling into the wall while Seraphim lit up like a midnight flame. I groaned and looked at the offending object; the tail of the thrashing dragon. I scowled, especially since the dragon wasn't even aiming for me and was just panicking, and ultimately decided to ignore it until it died. I peeled myself from the wall and sighed as I watched Seraphim's thrashing form. It was almost certainly over for her, since the flames so far have been inextinguishable, but it never hurts to keep your guard up.

It was worth it as I watched the flames abruptly flicker and die off, absorbed into Seraphim it seemed. She released a painful sigh, smoke trailing from her mouth as she presumably _ate_ the flames, which didn't seem all that unrealistic if you thought about it. Her entire body was burnt, and I was - internally - delighted to see it had seemingly withered away some of her armoured skin, and as such I mercilessly took advantage of that fact.

With a burst of SchattenSchritt I appeared in front of her and swung Judgement, taking possibly sadistic glee when it punctured her skin, creating a long gash diagonally down her torso. I dodged back when she lashed out, and was forced to use my teleporting technique multiple times to avoid her lasers, but my side took a shot anyway. The dragons thrashing slowed as the ice undoubtedly reached its brain, slowing its control. I stood on a small mound of rock, glaring at Seraphim as she angrily returned the visual gesture.

''You...'' She _snarled_ , her body shaking with obvious fury as an unnerving grin came to her face ''Of course... how did I not see it? You must be her child... purple eyes, magic-like abilities, teleportation, scythe with the intelligence to back it all up... you're a Haizen, aren't you?''.

I narrowed my eyes, the flicker of anger in my veins burning ''How do you know that name?''.

''You're mother, sister, whatever she is... Marisol Haizen'' She continued to rant ''The first human creature to ever cut my skin... and not one has done so again... until now''.

''You fought my mother?'' I questioned, my grip on Judgement tightening.

''Of course! She tried to intervene with Lady Salem's plans more than once, so I was bestowed the honour of _removing her_ , but alas she someone managed to survive, even wound me! I'll never forgive her for the humiliation I felt that day... and now I have her child to feel my full wrath!''.

Abruptly from her back, the purple construct extended, revealing it to be a set of odd purple wings, without the feathers or skin but only having the bone layout. They flapped twice as Seraphim grinned, body glowing with what was undoubtedly Aura as her hands glowed.

''Come child... feel the wrath of one of the nine Ancients!'' She roared in a bloodthirsty manner as she charged with all the speed of a bullet. I raised Judgement and ducked under her, slashing at her stomach and cutting her once more. She growled and her foot lashed out, nicking my shoulder and making me stumble long enough for a laser to strike my leg, burning my thigh. I grunted in response as I spun my blade and threw it, the scythe gaining momentum on its own before imbedding the blade into her stomach. I raised my hand to summon a Sigil, but her laser pierced through it before it was done, making it fall apart to ash as I rolled away from it.

I grunted as I dashed out of the way of her laser, ducking when she did a sweep with it and I charged, calling Judgement back to me as it flew out of her, causing her to stumble from the abrupt removal of my weapon. The shaft landed in my hand and I swung it around, catching her shoulder and making her hiss in pain. Her fist abruptly found my chin and my head almost snapped off by the vicious amount of force applied, enough to kill an Ursa for sure. I stumbled back and I hissed as another laser passed through my torso, missing my lung and heart by millimetres. Aura worked well enough to seal the wound and stop blood loss, but even that was slowly draining, probably down to 60%.

''Dammit'' I cursed as I held my hand out to her ''Insho: Raitoningu!''.

A sporadic burst of nearly a dozen shots of lightning burst from the yellow-tinted Sigil, two immediately piercing her chest and thigh, making her grunt in pain as she returned the favour as the laser burnt my own thigh before I could dodge, slowing my movement even more. Seraphim flew at me, grabbing me by the neck before I could dodge and went airborne, lessening the air in my lungs as we ascended. I winced as I lashed out with my foot, but it barely harmed her. She spun and threw me and the remaining air in my lungs was evaporated as I shot down like a missile to the ground, creating velocity rings as I went.

I gasped as I impacted the cold ground, my back screaming in protest. I coughed as blood leaked from my lips, signalling internal damage, and making me scowl as I wobbled to my feet. I barely saw Seraphim before she grabbed me by the face and smashed me into the wall of the hole, making me gasp in pain once more.

''Pathetic'' She snarled with a delighted expression, and white spots filled my vision as she slammed me against the wall once more, and again, again... again... and again. I don't know how many times she did it, but I lost my vision after the third time, and when she was done I could barely feel anything... like when I was born. Slowly my vision cleared, letting me acknowledge I was lying on my front with my head tilted to the right, my eyes slowly rising up to look at Seraphim standing over me. Instinctively I coughed as more blood filled my mouth, reflex keeping me from drowning on my own life-fluid. A burning sensation slowly burned in my chest, as if my soul was screaming, but for a reason other than pain.

Like when my Dunkelheit activates, my vision became clearer, my sense of touch more sensitive, my hearing more perfect, every sense enhancing themselves. It took less than a second to realise from the feeling of it, it was the Grimm mask, even if I didn't intentionally summon it. Regardless I lunged to my feet, barely taking note of my wounds _slowly_ healing as I charged Seraphim, roaring as I threw a fist at her. She did the same and our fists clashed, sending a loud 'SMACK' echoing around us, and both of us winced. My right leg came up and I turned slightly, my foot striking her in the chin. She didn't hesitate and grabbed my ankle, snapping the appendage with a rough twist, making me growl unnaturally.

I detaches my fist from hers and swung the other, smashing it into the side of her helmet. She twitched from the shockwave it produced but the armour protected her, but I didn't care. I ignored my healing leg and _plunged_ my fist into her face, smashing her already broken nose and sending her flying into the wall behind her, creating a hole in the wall. I barely noticed I used SchattenSchritt to appear in front of her as I tore her out of the wall, only to slam her into the ground and coat my fist in Aura, smashing it into her temple. I found myself airborne as she delivered a titan-level kick to my stomach, but I used it to my advantage as I instinctively made a gravity Sigil, my descent taking less than three seconds as I coated my fist in Aura and slammed it into her stomach, making her cry out at the pain.

I dodged out of the way of her laser, instead grapping her right hand by the wrist and snapping it with a single, morbidly satisfying _snap_. She screamed in fury and pain and I grunted as her other laser pierced my right shoulder, which I retorted to my slamming my boot down on her face, and raising it for a second. She grabbed the foot by the ankle while I balanced on my wounded one. Instead of snapping it she attempted to throw me away, but I dropped to the ground and onto my hands, skidding to a stop a few feet away. I couldn't give her the chance to get airborne again.

As if reading my thoughts, she growled as she extended her wings in an attempt to fly, but I slammed my shoulder into her, upsetting her balance and sending both of us to the floor. My vision swam as I got up, adrenaline the only thing keeping me standing really as I summoned Judgement without even looking at it, the weapon flying into my hands. Seraphim got to her knees as I swung Judgement, cutting her wings off at the stubs. Predictably she _howled_ in pain, stumbling away from me in a pain-induced haze. For the first time I fired the anti-material rounds of Judgement, piercing her shoulder making her gasp. Without hesitation I lashed out viciously, severing her left arm, leaving her with a broken wrist. I kicked her in the chest, knocking her to the floor as I stood over her, before my right fist glowed a onyx black as I felt Death's power activate on its own.

I slammed my fist down once more into her chest, making her cry out an unnatural screech as a skull formed on the stone below her, a shockwave recoiling back at me as I felt my arm go limp, the energy burning my hand sourly. It didn't kill her, oddly enough, but judging from her shocked look and faint breathing, it severely damaged her.

''I win'' I growled out, instincts telling me to just kill her and be done with it. Odd. Seraphim was a panting, bleeding mess. Her left arm was now gone, her right hand broken, her nose broken and face bruised, stomach bruised and bleeding internally, legs bleeding from various wounds and other injuries. I didn't escape these wounds either, my right leg fractured but healing quickly from whatever reason, cuts and bruises literally my legs and stomach, my face and head were bruised and bleeding, my vision swaying slightly as I wiped blood out of my eye.

Seraphim said nothing, but glared feebly at me as she twitched, ragged breaths coming out. A question was brought to the forefront of my mind, that I just had to ask.

''Why do you work for Salem?'' I asked curiously, allowing myself to falling onto my ass on a pile of rocks.

Seraphim remained quiet for a while, but after noticing I wasn't going to give up she quietly, hoarsely spoke ''She created me... my soul...''.

''I see'' I nodded, deciding not to beat around the bush and use wordplay this time. I was in need of proper medical attention, or else I'll die ''Why don't you join me?''.

Her head snapped to me, silver eyes wide _''WHAT?!''_.

I smiled wryly, throwing away the tattered remains of my cloak ''Others of the Human-Grimm have joined me, Nazai and Alexia being the names of my lieutenants''.

''So?'' I asked, smiling as best I could ''I'm willing to offer you a second chance''.

''I...'' She hesitated, but before she could finish her sentence... another unfamiliar one did.

''She already has an allegiance, fool'' I spun on my heel, finding a woman a dozen feet behind me. Her skin is a deathly pallor, covered with tortuous, deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclera of her eyes are jet black and her irises glow red. She had a black diamond-shaped marking in the centre of her forehead and wearing a very long black cloak with red designs resembling eyes. Her hair was stark white and tied into a bun with six off-shoots where ornaments are currently hanging.

''And who might you be?'' I said with a blank face, hiding my grimace behing a mask of blankness. If her appearance was anything to go by, along with her speech pattern, she was like Seraphim or at least on the same side as her, and I had nowhere near enough strength to fight another Seraphim look-a-like.

''L-Lady Salem...'' Seraphim _squeaked out_ in obvious fear, shrinking in on herself. I felt myself grow cold at the name. Seraphim was strong, so her reaction made it obvious Salem was either her superior or that much stronger than her. Shit.

''That would be me'' Salem said with a smug smile as she stared into my eyes, boring holes into my soul ''What an interesting offer you proposed to my dear servant. A new life? Don't humour yourself''.

I glared, but my mouth was dry from nervousness so I feigned the act of being adamant, refusing to answer.

''However I came here personally to... extend an offer to you'' She smiled wickedly, approaching and stopping a few feet away ''Join me, and gain power superior to that of which you currently wield, and purify this world of which you don't wish to exist. You're so called friends are only letting you down, I assure you''.

My eyes widened at the offer. Power in exchange for allegiance? That was... the oldest trick in the book. I wasn't an idiot by any standard, my intelligence being proof of that despite my mental issues. She implied I would abandon my friends, but if she's as intelligent as Ozpin eluded then she wouldn't be foolish enough to believe I would accept this. Perhaps this was a chance thing? Her hoping that I'd cave by the fact I was surrounded (Technically) and weakened? Logically most people in this case would go covert, joining them only to betray them later, but she'd be aware of it. Perhaps if I did take that route, then I'd get screwed over down the line, but I had a better plan.

I sighed, feigning hesitation and guilt ''...Very well... _Lady_ Salem''.

Salem's smile seemed to widen as she extended a hand to shake ''Excellent''.

I shook it, but then pumped all my Aura into my other fist as I gripped her hand as hard as possible. With a desperate roar I flung my fist forward, black flames engulfing my hand as the full power of Death's Mark poured and mixed with my Aura. My fist slammed into her stomach in an upward curve, an audible _crack_ was heard as a shockwave passed around us, the wall behind Salem shattering completely as the rocks fell around us, a good ten feet of stone wall destroyed and caved in. I gasped as my Aura plummeted, draining down into the below 20% area. I stood there, Salem hunched over my fist, and I felt the slightest amount of pride when I saw she didn't twitch.

I opened my mouth to speak, but her voice rang out first ''Fool''.

My eyes widened, but before I could blink I was flung into the wall opposite her, something in me cracking as I wheezed out in pain. I slumped to the floor, the oxygen in my lungs suddenly feeling so much harder to gain. It wasn't helped when a hand encircled my neck and lifted me off the ground, Salem forcing me to meet her gaze as I glared at her. She smirked back, shaking her head slowly.

''Pathetic, truly pathetic Eien Haizen... you were given the power of the gods, yet barely used any of them. Even the powers of Death himself were so poorly used that it was truly humorous'' She mocked and I felt my airways tighten, darkness encompassing my vision ''Goodbye, Eien Haizen''.

My last thought however, made me smile weakly, a single tear leaking from my eye.

 _'Ruby... I'm sorry'._

And with a vicious _SNAP_ , it was all over.

* * *

''What the hell happened here?'' Yang gawked, looking at what remained of Rockledge.

''Eien!'' Ruby called out, running over to the hole and looking down, and paling ''EIEN!''.

That sprung the rest into action, as they all climbed down the rocky edge that had been made when the part of the hole collapsed. Others like Ruby just jumped down, using their weapons to slow their descent. Upon arriving however, Ruby fell to her knees in front of Eien. His neck was contorted at an unnatural angle, his eyes dull and lifeless, and his Aura not healing his wounds.

''E-Eien...'' Ruby sobbed, fingers gripping the dirt beneath her feet as tears fell, slowly falling into hysterics. Yang stood beside her with Blake, both frozen, disbelief and sadness on their face, a few tears unknowingly falling down their cheeks. Weiss had a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise she made, tears unashamedly running down her cheeks. Nora held onto Ren, head buried in his shoulder crying while Ren himself remained calm, but grief filled his features as he closed his eyes, silently praying for Eien. Pyrrha and Jaune were in a similar position, tears leaking from their eyes as they held one another for support. Adam was grimacing, looking down and swearing vengeance, while Mercury and Emerald awkwardly looked away. They weren't _that_ close to him, but they were still friends, and it wasn't nice knowing he was dead.

At the top of the hole, two figures stood, both equally sad as they turned and left with the wind, not wanting to observe the scene any longer, les their tears join the students'.

Lavender, Qrow and Raven grimaced and looked away, saddened but not letting themselves fall into grieving yet. Era and Reality were in perfect sync; silent as tears ran down their face. Reality gripped the necklace tightly, mumbling one phrase over and over in her head repeatedly, sadly.

 _'I'm sorry Eien... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...'._

* * *

 _''Where is your trump card now, Ozpin?''_ The scroll message said from the anonymous user, a picture of Eien's corpse below it. Despite not being tagged, he knew who sent the message. Ozpin calmly, almost too calmly, took a sip from his mug before placing it on his desk. Despite the amount of restraint, the desk _shattered_ at the mere contact, the force hidden beneath the mere action far too strong for it to handle.

He gripped his cane with his now-free hand, the Adamantite groaning under his iron grip as he let not a single emotion show on his face, but on the inside it was a hurricane of grief, rage, sorrow and everything in-between. He took a _very_ deep breath, fist shaking as he glared at his scroll.

''It is not over yet, Salem''.

* * *

 **A/N: BOOM! That's the conclusion for season 1! Hopefully I made you sad with the ending, because if not then I need to work on that. This isn't the ending of the series, I assure you, and the next chapter will be updated after a bit of a Hiatus, during that time it will allow me to write more. It could just be a normal 4-days until update, or I could take 2 weeks off, it depends on how much I can pump out.**

 **Eien's dead. Who saw that coming? I really want to know if anyone saw this coming, whether the chapter title gave it away, or if you guessed it before then. Like most things in this story loose ends will be tied up later, including the mutations found at the Schnee facility, they'll be shown at a later date. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed what I've done so far, since I fear it may be a bit sub-par at best, so its nice when you guys say you like the story :)**

 **If you want a power scale, I'd say Seraphim is on par with a C-class to B-Class Huntsman. For those who haven't caught on yet to the system; E-Rank is lowest, then D, C, B, A and then S as the highest. Ozpin is the only revealed S-Rank so far, while Glynda, Qrow, Raven, Summer, Taiyang, etc. are A-Rank.**

 **Salem is definitely S-Rank if not higher, you'll have to wait to see ;)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed, and until next time~**


	15. Chapter 15: Rebound

**A/N: The chapter moves at a little fast pace, mainly because I want to keep many things hidden until later, so if you see sections where you think 'a bit short' or 'the author could elaborate on this' then its because I want to save it for later.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 15: Rebound**

* * *

Six months had passed since the death of Eien, and its effect had been apparent during that time. (E)RWBY, JNPR and AREME had been seriously effected, Qrow had also been effected quite badly it, since he was in charge of the mission and blamed himself, also including drinking himself so far from sobriety it was ridiculous. Raven had remained for Ruby and Yang, since she couldn't bring herself to abandon them after losing someone so close to them. The general air of the school had even changed when the announcement of his death came, among the others who had unfortunately died on the missions, but they were few and far between. Eien had become the most well-known death because he had taken down both an A-Rank Human-Grimm and an S-Rank Draconis by himself before dying to an unknown party, AKA Salem.

Ruby Rose had been hit the hardest, that much was clear to anybody who knew even the slightest whispers about her. Her former cheery and shy self had instantly been transformed into an empty shell of nothingness, shown by how she had spoken in a monotone, blank stare and no emotions dancing on her face, like Eien when he was younger. Eventually after two months she quickly recomposed herself, but not back to her usual self. Instead she was now bitter and cold, becoming worse than Weiss Schnee when she came to Beacon and had her initial tantrum.

Speaking of the heiress, she had also been hit hard. She hadn't caved back into her haughty heiress mask, but instead just became quiet, snapping occasionally. She was feeling guilty like the rest of them, especially judging from how she wandered Beacon for weeks during the night, and after I questioned her she said she had nightmares of her failure. It was saddening.

Blake Belladonna had returned to her own shell, becoming quieter than she was initially and sticking her head in books, trying to ignore everything around them. Blake had even come to me once before, asking if I knew anything about the revival Sigils Eien had used on multiple occasions, but I denied it. She was also more aggressive towards insults towards her fallen teammate, like the others.

Yang Xiao Long had also been hit as hard as Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Schnee, trying to support her teammates as much as she could, but she wasn't only burdened with the death of Eien but also the dramatic change in Ms. Rose's personality. She acted fine on the outside, but anyone could see she felt guilty on the inside, and for more reasons than one.

Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc had taken a fair share of guilt, since they were both the kind to blame themselves regardless of what others had said. Jaune had improved significantly and the unlocking of his Semblance improved his overall combat ability significantly and with the Mistralian Champion's help it was even better. Nora Valkyrie hadn't changed _that_ much, but she did have a more tame personality at times. Lie Ren had also been barely (outwardly) effected, showing support for both teams when they needed it, but also having a great respect for Eien.

Adam Taurus hadn't changed too much, but did comment he missed Eien's presence, as he was one of the few people Adam would undoubtedly call a comrade, possibly a friend. Mercury and Emerald missed him, but otherwise didn't show much sign of sadness, outwardly at least. Era and Reality had looked like kicked puppies for the first month after his death, but after that took periodic 'leaves' from the academy, and Ozpin allowed them without hesitation, since they had their reasons.

Even the whole aura of the school was slightly sober after Operation Black Storm, even after the months so far. However one thing that stood out was the fact that the Vytal Festival was delayed. That was beyond suspicious, since the death of a less than a dozen students wouldn't stop the event, even if someone like Pyrrha Nikos died that wouldn't stop it. I had tried to talk to the council, but they refused to let details out about it. It was strange, but I couldn't do anything about it. Not only that but crime in Vale decreased by over eight perfect. The White Fang has practically dropped off the map, Cinder had disappeared completely, and only small-time thieves were left in Vale. It was greatly concerning. Not to mentioned that the 'Monochrome Knights' had quite literally vanished too, no trace of their existence anywhere.

Ozpin sighed as he took a cloth from his desk, wiping his glasses as he turned his gaze up at the figure semi-concealed in the shadows, the moonlight streaking from behind him ''Hello, once again''.

''Greetings, Headmaster Ozpin'' The figure said in a sly tone with a faint hiss.

''Any news?'' He asked, readjusting his glasses.

The figure nodded ''Master will be returning in six months''.

Ozpin nodded ''Very well, keep me informed''.

''Hai'' The figure said as they walked back into darkness, fading into the background, crimson eyes staring at him all the while until they disappeared into the shadows. Ozpin sighed as he turned on his computer scroll, showing a video from earlier in combat class with Miss Rose against Cardin Winchester.

 _''Cardin Winchester vs Ruby Rose!'' Glynda called out the last battle of the day. Cardin grumbled and got out of his seat, picking up his mace and stomping toward the stage. Ruby scowled and also got up, picking up her precious weapon and walking down the stage, getting onto the stage as she waited impatiently._

He increased the speed, flashing over the fight. Her fighting style had obviously become more vicious and dangerous, often resulting in her opponents needing to go to the infirmary. When he slowed the video down, it was the end of the fight, the reason he had gotten a report from Glynda.

 _Cardin stumbled to his feet, deep cuts on his pristine armour and bleeding from a head wound ''Bitch...''._

 _''Bite me'' She shot back irritably, sheathing Crescent Rose as she turned to walk away._

 _''Yeah... can't talk shit without your little boyfriend'' Cardin murmured, but Ruby heard it. Before anyone could so much as blink Cardin flew across the arena, chest bleeding from depleted Aura as fresh blood dripped from Ruby's scythe. She glared fiercely at Cardin, who now donned a large gash across his torso._

 _''Miss Rose!'' Glynda barked in surprised anger._

 _Ruby scowled, turning on her heel towards the exit, using her Semblance to escape before Glynda could stop her, prompting the teacher to also scowl._

The screen flicked off at his command, and he sighed ''To be fair, he did taunt her, I can see myself having a much more controlled version of that in my younger days''.

He grimaced ''Actually, it would've been more violent''.

Understatement.

* * *

Ruby sighed as she finished her outfit, attaching her crimson hood onto her shoulders before jumping out the window of her dorm, her teammates asleep in their beds. She hit the ground with a dull thud, but was gone in a flurry of rose petals as the world blurred around her as she tapped into her Semblance. She whizzed past the dorm building and past the statue, briefly taking joy in the wind blowing against her face before she slowed to a stop, reaching her destination. Beacon Cliffs.

She stared off into the forest, sighing as she sat down with her legs over the edge, placing Crescent Rose at her side. She found it to be relaxing when she came out here, especially during the night. It gave her peace and quiet where nobody could see her. I wonder if Eien would've liked it? She sighed again, running a hand through her hair as she swung her legs idly over the edge. She missed him, anyone could tell, but it honestly felt like a hole in her heart, regardless how stupid it sounded. It always left her feeling almost sick at times. The image of Eien's corpse at Rockledge... it was heart-breaking to remember.

She blinked, raising a hand to her cheek and feeling the tears, making her scowl ''Fuck...''.

The sound of glass shattering making me get into a combat position and unlock Crescent Rose. A few feet away, hovering a foot or two in the air was what looked like a crack in a window... on the air. The shattering sound repeated as the crack widened, giving off a pink-green-grey light as it continued to crack, before it shattered with an audible shattering sound... and a person walked out... dressed in a scarily familiar black hooded cloak, boots and undershirt. Glass shards reflecting a rainbow of lights fell around them as they turned their gaze to me, and smiled.

''Hey, Ruby'' The familiar voice said as they reached up, pulling the hood down. I sucked in a gasp of air, eyes wide at the sight of him. It was definitely Eien. He looked a little different, his face slightly narrower, a little taller and his right eye purple while his left was blue, but it was definitely him. I stood frozen for several seconds, Crescent Rose slipping from my hand and onto the grass below. Before I even realised it I had used my Semblance and tackled him, hugging him as he remained upright, wrapping his arms around me as tears fell once more.

''I-Its really you...'' I whispered as I could feel the autumn coolness he radiated.

''Mm'' He hummed, smiling down at me ''I missed you''.

''I missed you too'' I smiled as I wiped away the tears ''Where've you been?''.

He chuckled, faintly amused ''Dead, I wasn't kidding about talking to the manifestation of Death before... he's been training me this whole time, six-months _straight_. I've only managed to come here now because my control of his power has gotten to the level where I can make a gateway between here and his soul, where I've resided''.

I blinked ''So... are you dead, or only a little dead?''.

He outright laughed ''Dead, but... lets just say I'm playing chess and leave it at that, Hm?''.

''Um... okay?'' I said, not getting what he was implying. What did chess have anything to do with it?

''So... how have you been?'' He asked softly.

I winced ''Not too good, honestly''.

He winced also ''Ah... sorry about that, y'know, dying''.

I punched him lightly in the shoulder ''Stop doing that, its not your fault''.

''Its nobody's fault'' He agreed, holding me close ''What about the others?''.

''They didn't take it too well'' I explained ''Yang and Nora have tried keeping everyone happy, but Weiss has gotten quieter, Blake's buried herself in books, Pyrrha and Jaune feel like its their fault, Reality and Era are more... quiet too. The other have taken it better, but still hurt''.

He chuckled humourlessly ''Shit, well... shit, that's all I can say really''.

I giggled lightly ''Mm, its been weird without you, its like the whole world stopped''.

''Didn't know I was so important'' He joked lightly and I punched him again, a little harder.

''You _are_ important'' I said as I pressed my lips against his, the new height difference making it slightly more difficult ''To me, to our friends, hell to _everyone_ ''.

He smiled as he wrapped his hands around my waist, holding me as he kissed me again ''Nice to know''.

''I bet'' I giggled lowly as I wrapped my arms around his neck ''Mm... hey Eien...?''.

''Hm?'' He hummed back, staring into my eyes and making heat flush to my cheeks, but it came with a grin.

''Lets... make this night memorable, Mm?'' I hinted at him, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

His smile turned sly ''Since when did you become such a pervert, Hm?''.

''Oh shut up'' I scowled lightly before grinning at him, making him raise an eyebrow. I pushed all of my weight on him and made us fall onto the grass, with me sitting on top of him. I flashed him another grin and he chuckled in amusement, returning the grin as he leaned up, kissing me with a little more vigour than usual, making me smile as I returned it, pushing him onto the grass below again as I leaned over, lips never breaking from his.

As we break off for air, he murmured with a teasing grin ''Who knew you'd like to be on top?''.

I laughed, unaware of a certain blonde brawler watching from the bushes.

* * *

''Damn'' I sighed as I attached my precious hood back on, smiling at Eien who was also adjusting his cloak ''That was... awesome''.

He laughed ''I agree, Sweet Rose, I agree''.

A sudden thought made my cheeks heat up even more ''Do you think anyone heard?''.

He paused, then shrugged ''Eh, can't do anything about it now''.

''I hope not'' I muttered with a light scowl, which faded as he wrapped his arms around my stomach, hugging me.

''It'll be fine'' He whispered, pecking me on the cheek.

''Hey'' I whispered back, turning to him ''You're coming back to Beacon, right?''.

He winced.

''Eien...?'' I mumbled with a frown.

''Believe me I want to, but I can't'' He said sadly, looking straight into my silver eyes with his mismatched ones ''The reason why is that Death, the entity, is training me, and he promised to let me back into the world of the living after a year, the only reason I'm out now because I trained extra hard''.

I broke the gaze ''So... you're leaving?''.

His hand ran through my hair soothingly ''Yeah... I don't want to but-''.

''Take me with you'' I demanded in the spur of the moment, gripping his cloak.

''Ruby...'' He murmured, sadness in his eyes.

''Dammit just bring me with you!'' I said heatedly, gripping his cloak tighter.

''And what about our friends?'' He asked with a mild glare, making me flinch from the realisation. I doubt he'd be willing to come to Beacon to explain, let alone if he had the ability to remain here that long, and I couldn't go there, explain and then come back before he left. I grit my teeth and looked up at him.

''I don't care'' I said simply ''If it means I get to stay with you... then I'll leave them, they'll survive another six months''.

His eyes widened slightly, a look of shock on his face, before it melted into a warm and resigned smile ''You've gotten stubborn since I last saw you''.

I flashed a grin as my anger dissipated ''Hell yeah I did''.

He sighed, shaking his head as a fond smile came to his face ''Sure, let me us open a gate... you're _sure_ about this? There's no turning back, you'll be stuck with me for the next six months''.

''And how's that a bad thing?'' I winked and he laughed, the tiniest tint of pink coming to his cheeks.

''Alright, gimme a minute'' He said as he broke from the hug, closing his eyes and extending a hand to his side, his body glowing purple faintly. I waited as he made a gate, my heart elated with how this day had changed for the better, and what we did... just remembering it brought heat to my cheeks. The sound of bushes moving drew my attention and I was surprised to see Yang there.

''Hey lovebirds'' She grinned as she walked up to me ''Nice to see you too Eien''.

''Yang'' He smiled and nodded, eyes still closed as he did whatever he was doing ''I presume you heard?''.

''Yup'' She said with an audible pop on the 'p', smiling at me ''Damn, I'm surprised you two didn't wake up all of Beacon''.

I blushed ''Yang!''.

She grinned, hugging me ''Have fun, alright? I'll tell the Headmaster, I'm sure he'll know what to do, and maybe Weiss and Blake''.

A smile came to my face ''Thanks, Yang''.

''Anything for my adorable little sis!'' Yang grinned, patting my head ''Don't make me an aunt yet though, 'kay?''.

''Yang!'' I glared, blushing, while Yang just laughed.

''Its ready'' Eien called to me as the air shattered, revealing a grey door with a gold outline ''Its good to see you Yang, we'll be back in six months... say hi to the others for me''.

''Will do~'' Yang sang as she waved, patting me on the back goodbye and saluting us mockingly. Eien smiled and opened the door, showing a grey light on the other side and took my hand. We shared a smile and he led me through into it, the light consuming my vision as I did so.

* * *

The greyness faded, allowing me to see a... rather dark and dull place. The best way to describe it was a desert of black ash with flecks of red in it, the sky a blood red with ash clouds. Gothic buildings littered the place, some of them in disrepair while others while others were in better condition. The door behind us flickered before fading into nothingness, Eien leading me towards a large, almost church-like building.

''This is where you've been for the past six months?'' I asked, slightly stunned as I followed.

''Yup. I train for most of the time, Death lets me look in his personal library which has some... unique literature and sleep. Food isn't an issue here since you don't feel hunger... and I'm pretty sure food doesn't exist here either''.

I pouted ''Aw... no cookies or strawberries''.

He chuckled ''Well, maybe Life can make some''.

''Life makes _cookies_?''.

''Yup'' He smiled, patting my head as he walked towards the large building, which was as big as Beacon if not bigger. It was actually really similar to Beacon in terms of architecture, just made from a murky black and more gothic. I felt Eien wrap his arm around my waist and darkness suddenly engulfed my vision, before the black melted away revealing myself to be somewhere else. Instead of outside the large building I was now with Eien is a gothic-ish bedroom. The walls were a black, almost shiny stone with a red carpet and black wooden furniture, the white mattress being the only white thing in the room aside from the pillows, a red blanket over it. There was another grey wood door with a gold outline, torches with Light Dust on them around the room and a chandelier above.

''Where are we?'' I blinked, already drawing conclusions but wanting confirmation.

He smiled ''This is where I stay, I need you to wait here while I talk to Death''.

I tilted my head but smiled ''Sure''.

He returned the smile and nodded, his body painted black before melting away from existence. It took a moment for me to recognise it was his SchattenSchritt, despite the changes it had. I idly moved and sat on the bed, noting how soft it was and just... waited. Thankfully it wasn't long before Eien's pitch-black form materialised out of thin air at the end of the bed, smiling at me.

''Death is perfectly fine with you being here'' He explained, smile never faltering ''Though he requests that you also partake in some training''.

''Sure'' I shrugged, curious ''With you or Death?''.

He shook his head ''With either myself or my 'Spirits', remember them?''.

''Like Eleanor and Neo?'' I asked and he nodded.

''Yes, but since my death I have increased the amount of them'' He chuckled lightly ''All with different personalities, Semblances, its quite weird having them all within my soul, considering they can speak to me mentally''.

''That's cool'' I smiled and he nodded, stretching slightly.

''Mm'' He hummed ''I myself will mostly be sparring with Death, since if you were to and die, then you'd, well, _die_. However if I were to die, then he'd just pull me back out of his own soul, since I am already technically dead''.

I blinked ''Doesn't that mean you're like, immortal?''.

He paused, humming ''Actually... maybe. I don't know, maybe only if I die when I'm in his soul or whatever, but it doesn't matter. Either way you sparring with the Spirits increases their skill as well as your own, so its a win-win really''.

''Are Eleanor and Neo still around?''.

''Yeah, both have gotten better since you last saw them too'' He smiled with a mischievous glint to it ''I've also got better at Soul Creation too, so there's that too. Oh and Death will probably let you use his library if you're with me, since he doesn't want us reading certain sections for various reasons, but there is a section on weapon customization on all the weapons of fallen huntsmen''.

I grinned at the prospect ''This is gonna be _awesome_ ''.

''You said it Sweet Rose'' He smirked back.

* * *

The dorm room of one Team (ER)WBY was silent, as it was most days. With the lack of the upbeat and hyperactive Ruby and the calm and intelligent Eien it left the room feeling rather quiet. Weiss and Blake had no objections to this, but Yang was out of her element and often either occupied herself with training or hanging with JNPR/AREME. Ever since Eien's confirmed existence, the three teams had been more upbeat as of late, and while they also missed Ruby, they knew that after Yang telling them about her reverting to a more cheerful demeanour, it was probably best to let the duo remain together.

Currently, Weiss was catching up on homework, as the second semester of the their second year had started a few days prior. Yang was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine with a pair of bulky headphones in. Blake was, as most would guess, reading a book on her own bed. All three were dressed in uniform, as it was only 8:30am in the morning of a Monday. Eien had a habit of waking up early, and that also passed onto his team as he had started waking them at 7:30 in the morning, leading to Yang and Weiss grumbling. A lot.

So they could be forgiven for jumping out of their seat/falling off their beds when the air in the middle of the room abruptly _shattered_ like glass. A hole to a black void was present, the gap being about seven feet tall and three feet wide with jagged and sharp edges, as if a pane of glass was there. Green, pink and blue lights reflected off with a myriad of other colours dancing off.

''The hell?!'' Yang barked, stumbling to her feet.

Just then, a very familiar figure wearing a black hood poked their head out, smiling cheerfully ''Hello~''.

''Eien'' They all said dryly, _so_ shocked that they _couldn't_ _be_ shocked, only accept it.

Said teen pouted, walking out in his signature cloak ''I went through the trouble of creating a gate in the middle of the room and all you can do is say 'what'? You're no fun''.

''Told ya'' Ruby's voice came as she followed Eien out of the portal, dressed in her original getup instead of her Slayer outfit ''Hey guys!''.

That broke them out of her stupor, as Yang immediately engulfed her younger sister in a hug ''Hey~ Rubes, haven't been making me an aunt yet have you?''.

She blushed ''Yang!''.

Eien smirked mischievously, but said nothing, not that he had to as Yang got the message ''How many people you kept awake, like seriously?''.

''YANG!'' Ruby yelled, blushing a darker red and glaring at Eien also, who just smirked back.

''I believe the phrase 'we woke the dead' was _very_ evident, because _someone_ is quite noisy-''.

''EIEN!'' Ruby screeched, redder than her cape at this point.

Eien broke down into laughter with Yang, using one another to support themselves as the portal behind them disappeared. Blake and Weiss were pure crimson also, the former having a tiny trail of blood seeping from her nose before she wiped it away.

''Damn~'' Yang whistled, giving a thumbs up ''So anyway, how've you two been aside from rocking the bed?''.

''Not bad, doing a lot of training'' Eien smiled back as he cracked his neck side to side ''What about you guys? Anything interesting happen?''.

''The White Fang's dropped off the map'' Blake answered ''In fact, _all_ major crime mobs have literally vanished overnight, leaving only petty thieves''.

One could swear Eien's face darkened for a moment, but it was too quick to properly guess ''Huh, weird... so, what's the time and day? No clock where we were''.

''Monday, 8:30am'' Weiss answered ''First class is combat class''.

Eien looked positively ecstatic at that ''Excellent, I believe I made a deal with Ozpin about this, good thing it was on the right day?''.

They all gave him a confused look, even Ruby ''Eh?''.

He chuckled ''Oh you'll see''.

* * *

The amphitheatre was alive with idle chatter and conversation as students of the first year filled in with whole teams, taking their seats as they waited. It was a normal day really, the second semester had started a few days prior, so most grumblings were now gone. On a small stage at the back of the amphitheatre was were the teachers, _all_ of them, currently stood. This confused the students, but they guessed they'd be told later, so they didn't question it.

Once all of the teams, including the trio of (E)RWBY, JNPR AND AREME, were present and accounted for, Ozpin began ''Today, students, we shall be conducting the first test of many to come under a new training program''.

Groans answered his question.

''You shall move up in teams, four against one opponent. Despite your opponents lack of numbers, they will make up for it in strength, so I implore you to take them seriously. Teams will be picked at random, and your opponent will be picked depending on your teams overall skill level'' Ozpin continued ''Once all student teams have been picked, the teachers currently present shall also fight as a collective thee-man team against three opponents also''.

 _That_ stunned them, but Ozpin carried on ''If you'd reveal yourself now, Eien''.

At the edge of the stage a black figure formed, before the darkness washed off like water, revealing the cheerful and grinning Eien, one that was supposed to be dead. Whispers of shock spread through the audience, but Eien merely ignored them, nodding to Ozpin thoughtfully. Ozpin returned the nod, clicking a button on his scroll and the screen above whirled through pictures, randomly deciding a team. It slowed to a stop, revealing a team to be Team SSSN. After the death of Eien most teams had been sent back to their academies since the festival was delayed for whatever reason, but now they were back.

Team SSSN didn't waste a second coming down to the bottom of the stairs and hopping onto the stage, standing at the opposite end of the stage to Eien, Sun being the one to greet ''Yo Eien! Good to see you buddy, you our opponent?''.

''Afraid not'' Eien smirked, holding a hand out in front of him. A grey Sigil appeared in front of him, before a black form raised out of the Sigil. The black liquid melted away quietly, washing off the persons form and revealing their form.

The person was in fact a girl around the age of fourteen in appearance with fair skin and messy, spiky-tipped black hair that was tied into a ponytails on the right side of her head, reaching just past her shoulders, dark grey eyes staring at her opponents challengingly, though the effect was dulled by the fact she was only 4'11. She wore a yellow running jacket with a black line going down each of the arms, the arms ending at her elbows. The hood was down and the coat unzipped, revealing a black shirt underneath. She also had yellow shorts on with a black streak down the sides of the shorts like her coat, the shorts stopping at knee-level and showing some skin before a pair of red running trainers were present.

''You'll be fighting Kindle here'' Eien finished, patting Kindle's head as the girl grinned at SSSN confidently, hands in her pockets and back straight.

''Seriously?'' Sun asked, a little confused.

''I wouldn't underestimate her'' Eien just smirked as his form became black, before reforming outside the stage and on the teachers ledge ''You'll have the standard ten minute time limit, and if one side has all players at 10% or lower, they're out''.

''What's your names?'' Kindle asked, shifting from one foot to the other, toothy grin not faltering ''I'm Kindle''.

''Sun Wukong'' Sun grinned lightly in reply, slowly bringing his weapon to bare.

''Scarlet David'' Scarlet introduced with a small smile, even as he drew his weapon, the countdown above them.

''Sage Ayana'' Sage nodded stoically, drawing his large sword.

''And I'm Neptune Vasilias'' Neptune finished with a grin.

''Hope you can give me a good fight'' Kindle grinned as she took her hands out of her pockets.

 _''3! 2! 1!''_ The counter's AI voice counted down, before a buzzer sounded as the fight began.

Immediately Kindle and Sun took off, running at each other and grinning. Sun slowed as he spun his weapon in staff form and spun it around, the weapon swinging for her torso from the right side. Kindle smirked and fell to her back, sliding underneath the swing and between Sun's legs, ignoring him now as she ran at Sage. Said dark skinned teen narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he lifted his weapon and slammed it down before she could reach him, creating a shockwave. Kindle went with the flow, letting herself get knocked back and driving both feet into Sun's chest before flipping to her feet, Sun stumbling from the force but not enough to knock him down.

''Damn~ big guy! Nice sword'' Kindle grinned, getting a nod from the stoic teen ''Guess its time to _light_ this place up, eh?''.

Flames abruptly flickered to life around her fists, creating two orbs of flickering orange flames around them. Her grin didn't fade as she went for Scarlet first, who narrowed his eyes as he lunged with his sword. As expected she easily manoeuvred around the blade, burying her fist in his stomach, making him gasp out as he was sent tumbling back, Aura dropping down to 70% due to it protecting him from the flames. Sage stood next to the recovering Scarlet while Sun and Neptune stood at the opposite side of her, both sub-teams slowly circling her.

''Afraid of getting burned?'' Kindle teased as she threw mock punches, sending small fireballs towards them, forcing them to dodge out of the way ''C'mon boys don't leave me waiting!''.

Sun obliged with a battle cry, charging in and swinging. Kindle grinned and raised her arm to the side, the staff smacking into her forearm and making her wince slightly as her fist moved to strike his stomach. He moved his staff with impeccable skill however and blocked her fist, but the force behind her punch made him stumble slightly, preventing him from blocking the second fist that struck his stomach, sending him back. Kindle grunted in pain as a blast of blue energy passed her, missing her stomach by inches, cutting the edge as her Aura mostly protected her.

She narrowed her eyes at the form of Neptune before breaking out in a sprint right at him, but was abruptly stopped as something wrapped around her ankle. She glared at Scarlet before smirking, sending a volley of mock-punches his way and unleashing a hail of flames towards him, forcing him to release the grappling hook and run, but still took several fireballs to the back.

Her eyes widened as two golden clones abruptly ran at her, mimics of Sun. She threw a fireball at each but they exploded into a flash of light, blinding her and making her stumble back. She hissed as she felt another shot skid over her shoulder, Sun and Neptune arguing about accuracy. Kindle growled as her Semblance activated full-force, fire spawning around her in a ring, embers floating around her as her vision returned. She glared at SSSN, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

''You guys... are _really_ pissing me off'' She grinned darkly as she glanced back at her 'father' ''Permission to 'release' the seal?''.

Eien smirked knowingly ''Very well''.

''Uh... what?'' Sun asked, very confused with what that meant. Kindle just smirked as the heat of the flames increased, making the four combatants sweat from the heat spreading, the audience safe from said heat because of the barrier around the arena.

''Hehe... just watch Sunny'' She quipped as her eyes glowed before they flickered into an amber shade, before fully becoming a glowing amber. With a grin that oozed confidence she called out ''Seele Mitteilung''.

Immediately the flames around her flickered and roared furiously as the orange slowly gave way to black, the flames around her becoming an onyx black, the heat being almost searing. From behind Kindle grew a pair of wings made from a bright, orange flames, not directly attached to her back but close enough to look so. They extended a few feet each and had a slight incline to them, the tips of the flame-like feathers black.

''What... just what?'' Neptune said, stunned.

After another silent glance between Kindle and Eien, Kindle spoke ''Seele Mitteilung. Its something me and all of Eien's 'Spirits' can use, we've only developed the technique recently. It basically super-charges us, increases every aspect of ourselves, some more strongly than others and enhances our Semblances too. It also draws on ambient particles in the air that can be absorbed and _slowly_ recover our Aura. It has a cool down of a few days, so I won't be able to use it for a bit after today, and its got a time limit... mine's rather short, 'cause I only gained mine recently. Eien introduced this encase we had to fight foes who were currently stronger than us, I can mostly go up against C-Rank Hunters with this active''.

''Oh that is _so_ not fair!'' Sun complained with a pout, making Kindle giggle.

''Well its still within the rules, since it is still a technique and part of our arsenal, and I don't have a weapon in the first place, so this just evens the odds'' She explained with a small smirk before it turned into a pout ''Besides I'm probably one of the weakest 'Spirits', so its only fair~''.

''You're one of the weakest'' Scarlet said flatly, stunned.

''Well... yeah~'' Kindle said, pouting before shaking her head ''Anyway! We're in a fight, so prepare for an ass-kicking!''.

''Oh shit'' Sun said as Kindle _flew_ at them with an eager grin, black flames trailing behind her. Neptune fired but she smoothly dodged it before waving a hand in an arc at them, sending an arc of black flames there way. Sage did what he did best and slammed his sword down, breaking the ground slightly and successfully using the shockwave to split the flames out of the way. However some got on Sage, catching part of him on fire, and not going out when he tried rolling around. Kindle just watched, looking mildly concerned and mildly bored as Sun helped him take off his cloak and throw it to the ground, where it caught fire and burnt to ash.

''Uh... you're serious we have to fight her right?'' Sun asked nervously, looking up at Eien, who merely sighed.

''Apologies... I may have underestimated Kindle's destructive capabilities, especially in training situations'' Eien said ''Kindle''.

''Fine~'' Kindle pouted as the wings faded into embers, the black flames returned to their orange colours and her eyes returning to their dark grey colour ''Alright, c'mon then Sunny''.

''Stop calling me that!'' Sun grumbled as he approached, swinging his staff at her. She jumped over it and kicked off his chest, but got a hit to the back and shin for her efforts, making her scowl mid-flight as she spun, flicking her wrist and sending a fireball at him. It struck his chest and he tumbled back, wincing at the light burn he got for it. Kindle landed, only to widen her eyes as she jumped to the left, barely avoiding the large blade that came down at her from Sage. She jumped and spun, her right foot catching fire as she collided it with his shoulder, burning the cloth there and making him stumble.

Kindle was by no means weak, but given her young physique and reliance on her Semblance, and to add to that her inexperience, she was obviously having a hard time. Currently she was at 65% Aura, Sun was at 70%, Scarlet was at 52%, Sage was at 90% and Neptune was at 100%. Due to the fact she wasn't allowed to use her 'released' form, it made it harder.

Still she just grinned and charged Scarlet, who saw it coming and attacked with his cutlass. However Kindle had the advantage of her petite form, allowing her to slip past his attack and punch him in the gut, then in the chin, then a bullet-time volley of over a dozen punches into his chest, finishing with a kick that sent him tumbling away, dropped down to 8% Aura.

''Scarlet David is out!'' Glynda called.

Kindle wasted no time in moving to the next target, training taking over. Sun released two clones and she immediately destroyed them, looking away. It still blinded her slightly and made her stumble, but nowhere near as bad as the first time. She did a twirl with her arms out and directed it towards Sage, creating a tornado of fire at him. Because of the distance the teen couldn't dodge, only raise his sword in front of him and grit his teeth. When the tornado dissipated, Sage was out cold, burns on his body and making the crowd 'ooh' in sympathy.

''Sage Ayana is out!''.

Kindle widened her eyes however when she turned, prepared to move onto Neptune, only for her target to be right behind her. Before she could dodge or block, Neptune struck her in the stomach when his weapon was in Guandao form, her body erupting into spasms as the electricity coursed through her, making even Neptune wince. She stumbled back, vision distorted slightly as she fought to stay standing, her Aura having took a major beating from the attack.

Still she recovered after a dozen seconds, sending a glare at Neptune, panting ''If... I was allowed... to use... my released form... you'd be a crisp right now... I swear...''.

''Sorry?'' Neptune apologised with an awkward laugh.

''Eh... whatever'' Kindle shrugged, wincing slightly ''I got cocky... but now there's only two of you, so that makes it a whole 100% easier... I think''.

''Maybe'' He smirked as he flipped his weapon around, ready to fight. From behind, Sun started up in a sprint at Kindle, who smirked back at Neptune.

''Maybe'' She agreed and a pulse of flames erupted at her feet as she jumped into the air, twirled and sent a wave of flames at Sun. Sun sent two of his clones out at it. They took the blow for him and blinded Kindle momentarily, which was long enough for him to jump and swing his weapon with Neptune joining him. Kindle, in a blind and desperate attempt, was engulfed in flames before they pulsed out in a sphere of flames around her. Both Sun and Neptune were hit, knocking them onto the ground with force and burning them as Kindle also fell, panting.

''Neptune Vasilias and Sun Wukong are out! Team SSSN is out!'' Glynda called, also sounding mildly surprised.

''Woo~'' Kindle cheered tiredly, her own Aura down to 18% from the last attack. Sun and Neptune got to their feet with a stumble, going with the doctors for the standard health check, which was done after any battle that inflicted damage aside from Aura. Kindle stumbled slightly, almost falling, before abruptly gaining a purple glow on her body. Her body was levitated up to the stage next to Eien, who smiled and patted her head.

''Good job'' He murmured to her, making her smile proudly ''Despite being outnumbered by equally skilled foes you managed to win, I advise next time that you keep an eye on your opponents better though''.

''Mm! I won't let you down'' Kindle beamed and Eien smiled, nodding. He let his Aura flow into her and Kindle sighed happily as her wounds healed at an accelerated rate, nearly all of her previous pains and fatigue disappearing quickly, allowing her to watch the coming matches without being bothered by her wounds. Murmurs had spread throughout the crowd about Kindle's performance and Eien's mysterious return from the dead, but nobody knew anything, and those who did weren't telling.

All eyes raised to the board as it spun to the next team of the start of the long day. Finally it slowed to show JNPR, and they(Nora) eagerly got to their feet, moving down to the battlefield, Glynda Goodwitch repairing the floor with her telekinesis in the meantime. Eien once again teleported into the middle of the arena, smiling in greeting to his friends.

''Hey guys'' He smiled.

''Hey Eienny~'' Nora sang cheerfully, adding a 'ny' onto his name like with Ren, causing both teens to chuckle.

''I'm afraid we'll catch up later, for now though you'll be fighting another of my Spirits'' Eien smiled disarmingly as he extended a hand from his cloak, a grey Sigil appearing a foot in front of him. Slowly a figure rose up, quickly standing at the height of 5'5. The darkness melted off them, revealing it also to be a girl with fair skin, probably around the age of seventeen to nineteen with a lithe figure. Her hair was a light brown, near the tips being white and the tips themselves being crimson. Her left eye was a bright teal blue, while the right was ruby red. On each ear was a small, golden cross earing.

Her attire consisted of a faded blue shirt that started above her chest and stopped just above her waist in a zig-zag pattern, showing off a small amount of midriff. The shirt itself was outlined in red. She had a pair of dark grey shorts with a red outline also on them, a white belt with a red outline and a pair of black boots and knee-high socks. Her most defining feature was the pair of light brown fox ears on her head, twitching.

''Hey'' The teen waved, a confident smirk on her face, also visibly unarmed.

''Hi~'' Nora replied enthusiastically as Eien returned to his position on the teachers stage.

''Name's Aria, yours?'' The now-named Aria said, rolling her shoulders.

''Nora!'' Nora cheered.

''Lie Ren'' Ren nodded to her.

''Pyrrha Nikos'' Pyrrha smiled.

''Jaune Arc'' Jaune said with faux confidence.

Aria grinned at them ''Hopefully you'll give me a _nice_ fight''.

''Kindle said the same thing'' Pyrrha remarked as the timer counted down.

''Well yeah, its not often we get to spar with someone else aside from each other, its refreshing'' She explained bluntly as the countdown reached the last three.

 _''3! 2! 1!''_ The counter buzzed as the fight began, Nora immediately charging. Aria jumped back as she glowed faintly before an almost flame-like energy burst from her hands, a bright turquoise with a dark blue outline to it. It contorted and fluctuated before it formed into a pair of intricate katana-esque swords, energy particles dancing off them. Immediately she charged with both duel-wielding katana energy swords, meeting Pyrrha head-on. Both swung one sword and clashed, while the shield and second sword met in tandem, forcing a struggle between the two.

''Heh'' Aria smirked as the swords glowed, making Pyrrha's eyes widen before they were engulfed in an explosion, both of the girls shooting out of the cloud of smoke - Aria back-flipping out and Pyrrha stumbling.

''Self-destructing weapons?'' Pyrrha questioned as Aria created another pair of swords, only these ones were a Daisho pair.

''Come find out~'' Aria winked as she charged one more, throwing one of her sword which pulsated before detonating in front of Jaune, making the teen stumble from the shockwave. Aria threw the second at her feet and used the explosion to become airborne, forming a large Warhammer in her hands as she descended into the middle of the team, slamming the hammer down onto the ground. It created a small explosion and once again offset the teams' balance, and Aria took full advantage of that as she swung her hammer into Ren, sending him tumbling back, Aura dropping down to 70% alone from the heavy attack.

''Ren!'' Nora cried, before she charged with her own battle-cry and swung Magnhild. Aria raised her own hammer and the shafts collided, leaving them fighting for dominance as Jaune and Pyrrha helped get Ren up. Nora abruptly took one hand off and grabbed Aria's wrist, causing the fox-girl to be confused, before her eyes widened. Sparks literally flew as electricity travelled down Nora's arm and onto Aria, making her spasm as the electricity shocked her... and also loosened her hold on her weapon, causing it to pulsate before detonating, sending Nora, and to a lesser extent a twitching Aria tumbling back. Her Aura was swiftly knocked down to 65% mostly from that attack alone, since her Faunus genes made electricity, along with loud noises, _far_ more painful than what a human would feel.

She hissed as she got up, rubbing her Faunus ears gently and wincing, but still readying for battle anyway. She formed a shield and sword similar to Pyrrha's and ran at them, before throwing the shield towards Nora, who dodged the explosive energy weapon. Aria's energy blade met Pyrrha's as the two fought for dominance, only for Aria's foot to come and knock Pyrrha's feet out from under her, forcing the Mistralian to put a hand out to prevent herself from falling on her front and being completely exposed, but didn't need to as Ren came in, spraying with StormFlower and forcing Aria back, but not before dropping her weapon.

''Shit!'' Jaune called before Pyrrha, Ren and Jaune were caught up in the explosion, Nora off to the side blinking. Aria abruptly landed behind her, having used the smoke to hide her movement, and struck Nora in the back with a _huge_ hammer, sending the girl flying into the wall and knocking her Aura down to 50%, which promptly dropped to 28% when Aria threw her hammer and let it explode on her like a missile. She reformed a pair of scimitars just in time to block Jaune's blade and shield, kicking his knee and making him fall onto one knee and cut into his shoulder with the explosive weapon, before she promptly let them explode at close-range, sending her flying back as she summoned a scythe, nearly identical to Eien's, but made from energy.

She spun it around expertly and charged at the recovering Ren, who managed to avoid the first few blows and even managed to get a handful of shots in, but eventually was struck in the thigh, making him stumble long enough for her to get a solid strike across his chest, before using her weapon to explode point-blank on him. Still she pursued him relentlessly, creating a pair of odd-shaped daggers and lashing out with swift, precise strikes on the teen as Ren tried to block with his dagger-sized weapons. She kicked him in the stomach and threw the daggers, detonating them just before they hit him, resulting in him getting knocked back, Aura at 9% after her brutal assault.

''Lie Ren is out!''.

Aria gasped as Nora's hammer smashed into her back, sending her rolling away. Her eyes widened as she was forced to continue rolling and dodging as Pyrrha and Nora kept up the assault, not giving her a chance to form any more weapons. After thirty seconds of this Nora landed a hit, sending Aria flying into the barrier, but also giving her the time to make another weapon. Her choice of weapon this time... being a large chainsaw.

''I am _so_ kicking your ass for that'' Aria threatened with a grin as the chainsaw buzzed furiously, wisps of black-blue energy dancing off it. Jaune and Pyrrha paled, while Nora just grinned and shot at the floor, going airborne with her hammer in hand. With matching grins they clashed, hammer against chainsaw. Aria had the advantage in that her weapon had more cutting power, but Nora had the advantage in that her attacks had more blunt trauma, meaning Aura couldn't do a whole lot to protect you from it.

Eventually Aria was forced to back off a few feet as Pyrrha lunged in with her weapon in spear form, only to raise her shield to block against the chainsaw, which Aria was wielding with one hand while her free hand held three kunai between her fingers, which she used to her advantage as she threw them at Pyrrha's feet, exploding and knocking her off balance. Pyrrha gasped and winced as the chainsaw cut into her shoulder slightly, but couldn't fully get past her shield to cut any deeper than a flesh wound. That was until the weapon glowed fiercely, signalling it was about to detonate, bur before it could Nora shoved Pyrrha out of the way, taking the explosion herself.

''Nora Valkyrie is out!''.

Nora flew out of the smoke, Aura knocked down to 8% as she tumbled away, coincidentally landing next to Ren as Jaune ran to take his place. He wasn't able to use is Semblance, because like Adam's it was so powerful that it would likely cause permanent damage to someone if it hit, if not death. In the back of his mind Jaune remembered Eien could probably heal them if it was the case, but he didn't want to take any chances, so he'd not use it. Pyrrha was down to 55% Aura, Jaune was at 70% and Aria was at 40%.

''You guys are _pretty~_ good'' Aria complimented as she created another energy weapon, once again a Daisho pair ''I think you _might_ even be able to handle my released form, if you stop holding back with your Semblances''.

''Well, mine won't really work on you...'' Pyrrha said with a light laugh ''Jaune might cause permanent damage with his-''.

Aria waved a hand dismissively, interrupting her ''Nah don't worry about it, Eien can just heal me if I lose a limb or whatever and dying isn't _that_ big of an issue, so don't hold back''.

''...if you're sure'' Pyrrha murmured before turning to Jaune and whispering a plan to him, the clock ticking to the halfway mark above them while Aria casually twirled the blades in her hands until Pyrrha and Jaune separated, the former breaking out into a sprint towards her while Jaune lagged behind a little. Aria raised an eyebrow as she waited for Pyrrha to get into range before she dropped the shorter of the two blades, the loss of contact with its wielder causing it to pulsate before detonating into an explosion, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that Aria deftly used to sneak away with. Pyrrha waited in front of the smoke, backing up slowly with her shield raised, but was unprepared for a blade to come flying from her right.

She spun and raised her shield, her arm shaking from the direct-impact of the explosive weapon, only for another to impact the shield, and another, and again, again and again, like an endless hail of explosives Aria kept creating a melee weapon and throwing it, forcing Pyrrha to stay still less she lose her footing and fall from the recoil of blocking the powerful explosives. Jaune abruptly hopped over Pyrrha, using her shoulder to heave himself over, Pyrrha's smirk showing it was expected. Jaune raised Crocea Mors in front of him, the shield continuing to take the hits while Pyrrha recovered. Aria raised her eyebrow again in mild surprise, but decided to go along with whatever they were going with - She had the capacity to wipe the floor with them once she activated her Seele Mitteilung, but after Kindle's display would rather not use it unless she hurt them badly. It _was_ meant to only be used against actual Hunter-class enemies after all.

Abruptly Jaune began to glow after taking his fifteenth shot to the shield, the tell-tale sign of his Semblance. Aria, expecting something dangerous, summoned a shield and great sword to defend herself. A few seconds passed as Jaune's stored up energy travelled to his sword, and then with a roar Jaune swung, sending a fluctuating crescent at Aria that whipped around like a snake. He had gotten better with his Semblance in the year between when he initially unlocked it and now, but while it was powerful there wasn't much variation - it just depended on which part of Crocea Mors he used; sword = attack, shield = defend.

The contorting beam shot at Aria, who widened her eyes as she raised her weapons to defend herself, including summoning up more of her Aura and forcing it to manifest into energy in front of her, creating a force-field as the attack reached her. Everyone was blinded as the explosion went off, and for a tense twenty seconds they waited for the outcome of the attack. It revealed itself when the smoke cleared enough to see Aria, on her hands and knees panting as blood poured from a diagonal cut along her torso, not very deep at all but at the cost of nearly all her Aura. Jaune also collapsed to his hands and knees, Aura dropping to 9%.

''Jaune Arc is out! Aria is out! Team JNPR wins!'' Glynda called, and the crowd cheered. JNPR were one of the strongest teams, and while Aria was strong, she couldn't defeat them without using the enhancing technique.

''Dammit...'' Aria panted, and like before with Kindle she was levitated over to the stage with Eien, who promptly healed her wounds and restored most of her Aura with mere physical contact at the cost of his own Aura. Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora and Ren all made their way to the infirmary also, giving Aria and Eien a 'good match' smile before they disappeared. Aria pouted and huffed, annoyed at her defeat.

''JNPR is a strong team, I should know'' Eien murmured to her without even looking, looking like a statue as he watched the next team be decided ''You may be able to hold up well against a first year team, but against a second year team with a famous champion, an Arc and two fluid partners you wouldn't without your released form''.

''Should I have released it?'' Aria asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him.

''...it depends, really. If you did, victory would've been confirmed for you'' Eien said softly, and Aria felt a little shame at losing when she could've won ''But winning does not mean everything. While JNPR know of your Semblance, as well as the rest of the class, they do not know the full effects of your Seele Mitteilung - the same goes for you Kindle, they only know and can presume what the effects of your flames do, not the full extent of your abilities''.

Both girls smiled slightly at that, nodding ''Hai''.

They fell silent as they waited on the counter, which slowed and showed CRDL. Eien once again teleported and prepared to summon the next Spirit to fight them, but meanwhile up at the stage Kindle and Aria shivered as they felt a phantom presence linger beside them, one that only they could see as its presence lingered like an invisible fog, breathing down their necks.

 ** _''Interesting''_**.

* * *

 **A/N: And there's the end of this chapter.**

 **Eien back and alive (did anyone actually not think I was bringing the main character back?) with more strength than before, Ruby and Eien are back with slightly different personalities - which will be shown more as time progresses, more OC Spirits ahoy... and who spoke at the end of the chapter?**

 **The next chapter, and possibly the chapter after that will just be battle after battle showcasing the personalities and appearance of the different 'Spirits' within Eien's soul. I have an Omake I wanna write about Eien making Chibi versions of JNPR, RWBY and AREME and I'll probably write it in a chapter or two when its more fitting.**

 **I want to add a bit more... _relatability(?)_ to the Spirits of Eien, because while they're more OC's I want to make them to be more identifiable rather than just those characters that you see rarely. Some of them will fall under this, mainly ones who only appear for battle, but some others will make reoccurring appearances quite often. I also want to make them look a bit like certain characters from other series as a little reference. They'll hold the appearance, maybe a bit of the personality, but not the actual name nor full personality of the original character.**

 **Aria = Main character from ''Mafia: The Brigade of Knowledge Seekers''. (Does anyone know anything about this series? I can find A LOT of pictures about it, but not one link to what it actually is or where to find out about it. I doubt its just random images, since its got a series title, but seriously it looks interesting).**

 **Kindle = Karen Araragi from ''Bakemonogatari''**

 **[Seele Mitteilung = Soul Release in German]**


	16. Chapter 16: Fighting Spirit

**A/N: For those who PM'ed me asking why I made Eien even more powerful (and you'll see how powerful shortly) its because if you look at it from his standpoint its to be expected; he's spent a whole year sparring with the embodiment of Death itself, with only a few hours sleep per day mixed in with reading about the knowledge of any dead person in the history of Remnant. He could pick up techniques or strategies from their memories that were written in the books, and sparring for a full year compared to Beacon students (who only have classes and generally relax) its a lot tougher.**

 **Lets see if you can guess the Semblances of the Spirits before they are openly announced, ya?**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 16: Fighting Spirit**

* * *

As CRDL made their way onto the stage, Eien's hand became visible as it parted through the fabric of his cloak, onyx-black gauntlets glowing faintly as a grey Sigil formed in front of him. A black form rose from the transdimensional portal, the tar slowly melting off of the person like water as they stared blankly at CRDL. The person in question was female, standing at around 5'2 with a monochrome look to her appearance. Said appearance was her straight hair that was half black and half white, split down the middle with black on the left and white on the right. The same goes for her eyes; her left was an onyx black, while her left was an ivory white against a black sclera.

Her outfit was a simple one-piece dress, which like the rest of her was black on the left side, white on the right side. It went down to her knees and the skirt part was 'reinforced' as to prevent it from flying up, similar to what Ruby had. She had elbow-length gloves that were fully black on the left and fully white on the right. As per her appearance, her shoes were a pair of sleek common slight-heeled shoes, left black and right white. On her back was an 'X' shape of two sheaths, a katana present in each of them with the same colouration. Her whole appearance could be cut down the middle, the left side black and right white, the only thing unaffected being her pale skin.

''You know what to do'' Eien said to no fighter in particular, giving a nod to CRDL and the girl before disappearing back onto the stage.

''What are your names?'' She asked in a monotone as she reached over her back, drawing both swords. They were identical in all but colour, with the metal blades also reflecting the colours.

''Cardin Winchester''.

''Russell Thrush''.

''Dove Bronzewing''.

''Sky Lark''.

The girl nodded as they all gave their names ''Mona''.

 _''3! 2! 1!''_ The counter AI clocked down before buzzing a 'GO!'.

Unlike previous matches, Mona nor CRDL charged head-first into the battle, instead both sides watched the other like a hawk. After nearly ten seconds of tense silence Cardin led the charge, considerably more agile than when he first came to Beacon. Sky and Dove hung back while Russell followed his leader, a few paces back as Mona watched with a blank gaze, giving nothing away. As Cardin approached he swung his morning star down at her right side, and she moved to the side as predicted. What nobody expected was for Russell to jump onto Cardin's armoured shoulder and use him as leverage, flipping down at Mona who looked equally surprised as everyone else. CRDL wasn't known for tactics and teamwork.

Getting over her surprise, Mona narrowed her eyes ever-so-slightly as she ducked, doing a flourishing twirl and managed to get a small gash across Russell's torso while she took a light cut to her cheek. Continuing her momentum she lashed out with a double-swing at Cardin, blades swinging in an 'X' arc at him. Cardin took a few steps back however and the blades were set to miss, only for black and white beams of energy to shoot of the blades, forming a monochrome X and impacting his chest, sending him stumbling back and leaving a faint mark on his armour.

Without a word she extender a finger from her right blade pointing at Cardin, a grey glow illuminating her body before Cardin also gained the same glow, before the teen in question gave a grunt of surprise. Mona spun on her heel and turned to Russell, blocking both daggers with one sword while lashing out with the second, landing a cut across his stomach. Cardin meanwhile flailed in a blind panic, unintentionally hitting Dove with his mace and sending him tumbling as Cardin's free hand started swatting at his eyes.

''What the hell? Did you blind me or some shit?!'' He barked in annoyance as he blindly swung his weapon, even though Mona was way out of reach.

''Idiot'' She mumbled flatly to herself as she spun, one sword deflecting Sky's halberd while the other dropped her white sword, fist racing up and punching Sky in the face with the surprise move. As he stumbled back she did an elegant but swift twirl, the momentum and energy in her blade condensing before firing in a 'C' shaped arc at him, the black arc slamming into his torso and sending him tumbling away. Without delay she picked up her blade just in time to block Dove's downward slash, but was unable to block Russell's daggers. She grunted and her blank visage flinched in pain as they slashed at her chest and stomach, creating thin cuts that her Aura was already beginning to heal.

Still she narrowed her eyes and jerked her wrist, sending a small but powerful blast of condensed Aura at Russell that exploded like a grenade, sending him flying out of her range with a first-degree burn on his torso. She shoved Dove back and her foot shot up like a bullet, striking him in the chin with her heel before slashing downwards with her blade, releasing another wave of condensed energy that brought Dove's Aura down even more. Still unlike Aria and Kindle, she was _far_ more serious, and didn't intend to drag it out and allow CRDL the chance to defeat her. She chased after Dove, unleashing a barrage of thrusts and jabs with her white blade while blocking or redirecting his own blade with her onyx one.

As Dove's Aura dropped to 20% she pushed him back before crossing her blades in an 'X' shape, then slashing down. It create an 'X' beam of energy, one beam white and the other black, as they crashed into Dove, sending him soaring across the arena and into the barrier, down and out.

''Dove Bronzewing is out!''.

Mona spun just in time to block Sky's halberd, grunting as he kicked her in the stomach, but she didn't falter as her other blade came up and slashed at his chest, whittling away his Aura just a bit more. In the background Cardin was continuing to thrash, calling obscenities and unable to find his opponents. A swift, elegant twirl led Sky to stumble back with two additional cuts on his chest, which were joined by two larger ones less than a moment later. Halberds weren't known for their defensive properties - most polearms weren't, scythes included - and as such, Sky was having a very difficult time blocking the swift volley of attacks from Mona while Russell tried to recover from being accidentally hit by Cardin. Currently, their Aura's were at;

 _Mona: 82% / Cardin: 95% / Russell: 68% / Dove: 8% / Sky: 32%_

With that information taken in at a glance, Mona increased her assault as small projectiles of Aura shot off from her blade even swing, and in three slashes Sky was sent flying back, Aura dropped to 9% and classifying him as out.

''Sky Lark is out''.

Dodging to the left to avoid a drop-kick from Russell, she pressed both blade together as they glowed, before reforming and clicking into place as a single large sword. Without giving her opponent a chance to examine the weapon she lashed out with a wide swing, cutting across his stomach and sending him stumbling back from the force behind it. Despite her lithe frame she wielded the broadsword with expert skill, losing only the slightest amount of momentum with the larger blade as she continued to twirl and swing and Russell, only for said teen to be swatted aside by Cardin, the hit dropping Russell down to 5% and making him out.

''Russell Thrush is out''.

''Now to deal with you'' Mona said as she faced Cardin, the soft glow encompassing him fading away. He blinked a dozen times a second, before they narrowed with all the fury of a bull at Mona, who idly flipped her onyx blade into a reverse grip.

''The hell did you do?'' Cardin asked in a grumble instead of bull-rushing like an idiot.

''My Semblance'' Mona replied plainly ''Sense Neutralization, completely shutting down your sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch, taste''.

''So that's why I couldn't see'' He said, mostly to himself, before he hefted his weapon up ''Then why'd you stop using it then?''.

''It would be unfair to whittle away at your Aura while in such a state'' Mona replied evenly ''Enough talk, we finish this''.

''I can agree'' Cardin smirked as Mona charged. He waited until she got close and smashed his mace onto the ground, causing an explosion that made Mona stumble slightly, but reflexes saved her from getting punched in the face by Cardin. She slashed at his side twice in quick succession, sliding past him and using his big build against him as she unleashed a barrage of slashes on his back and sides. Eventually Cardin fell to his knees, Aura knocked down to 8% while Mona stood at 75%.

''Cardin Winchester is out, Team CRDL is out!'' Glynda called out as Mona nodded, a Sigil appearing at her feet as she faded away instead of going to stand beside Eien.

 _'How did I do, father?'_ Mona asked, using the same title as Eleanor.

 _'You did excellent. You handled it expertly while not going over the top'_ Eien mentally smiled, a small pulse of Aura from within him acting almost as a pat on the head, though it was their only way of communicating with 'physical' touch without her or another Spirit being manifested. Mona was actually quite shy, but you couldn't tell by looking at her, it was hidden beneath her mask of indifference, one that she had not be born with personality-wise, instead she when she was created Eien intended her to be a more shy person, but after it started to hinder her Eleanor assisted her, and everything's in the past.

Mona, on the inside of Eien's soul, beamed at the praise.

''Because of the limited time, we'll have to move on'' Ozpin murmured to Eien, who subtly nodded. With equal subtly, Ozpin manipulated the screen, so when it finally slowed down it, instead of a student team, showed Raven and Qrow Branwen - much to everyone's surprise.

''Think you can handle that?'' Ozpin remarked quietly, a smirk on his face.

''Of course'' Eien shot back smoothly as Raven and Qrow walked on stage, having been at the back of the room watching. Both were now full-time teachers at Beacon, mainly specialising in stealth or something along the lines of it. Eien once again teleported down to the stage, this time two Sigils appearing.

''Because of you both being A-Rank Hunters, you will be facing two opponents'' Eien smiled mysteriously as two figures rose, the darkness melting away shortly after. The first was male at around 5'10, shaved grey hair and matching eyes, a stoic look on his face. He wore a dark purple vest and camouflage army pants with black military boots. He also had a onyx belt on, a modern Trench Knife on it. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Raven and Qrow impassively.

The second was a young girl, probably the same if not slightly younger than Kindle was. She had a small build(in basically _every_ way, looking even younger than her intended age), shoulder-length pink hair and dark pink eyes, a dark pink star-shaped earring on both ears. She was wearing a dark maroon witch robe that went to her knees, a grey bolero jacket tied at the collar with a black ribbon, black shoes and a black witch hat on her head. In her left hand was a classic witch broom, while her other hand was adjusting the hat on her head.

''You know what to do'' Eien smirked at them. The man nodded, while the witch smirked back and nodded. Eien disappeared and reappeared back on the stage with Ozpin and the other present teachers, flashing the headmaster a cocky smirk at the same time.

''So... what's your names?'' Qrow asked as he unsheathed his weapon, falling into a stance as the clock ticked down to starting.

''Kotori, S-Rank'' The girl said with a smirk, taunting and sly.

''Kenshi, S-Rank'' The man informed gruffly, getting into a boxers stance ''You?''.

''Qrow Branwen''.

''Raven Branwen'' Raven replied as she stood in a formless stance ''Also... S-Rank?''.

''Mm, we're what Eienny likes to call S-Ranks'' Kotori explained nonchalantly, confident smirk never falling from her face ''We're stronger than the others by a fair margin, if I do say so myself, though there's only five of us at the moment. I'm the second strongest, with Kenshi being the fifth strongest''.

''Hm... and who's the other S-Rank's?'' Raven humoured the duo, whilst also willingly gaining info.

''Tsk, tsk, that wouldn't be fun to tell you, would it?'' She smirked mockingly, waggling a finger ''But... the strongest of us?''.

Kotori didn't continue immediately, shivering ''Ohhhh he gives me the creeps, no offence to him, its just his grin and his eyes... plus his fighting style... it makes me ponder the sanity of Eienny''.

''I'm _perfectly_ sane!~'' Eien pouted, using an overly joyful tone '' _He_ isn't, but that's just how _he_ is''.

''Yeah, yeah'' Kotori dismissed as the counter got to five ''So~ Kenshi, Firewall?''.

''Alright'' He nodded, 'Firewall' being the codename for a tactic in which Kenshi would defend Kotori, while Kotori deals most of the damage.

The buzzer buzzed and Qrow took off, meeting Kenshi halfway. With great precision Kenshi used his small Trench Knife to block the _far_ larger blade of Qrow's weapon, reaction time on point with the Huntsman as both swung fiercely and quickly, Kenshi blocking all strikes with flawless precision while Qrow slowly narrowed his eyes as the short fight went on.

Kotori smirked as she held her right hand in front of her, clenching her fist and pulling it to her chest. The action caused a flat, orange circle of Aura at Qrow's feet. The man jumped back just as a pillar of flames erupted, similar to Cinder's own attack. Kotori pouted as she twirled her finger, causing the flames to be disrupted, turning into several individual snakes of flames, shooting towards Qrow like actual snakes. A crimson portal appeared next to him, Raven appearing out of it and grabbed Qrow, pulling him in before the flames could strike him, the portal reappearing at the other end of the stage and Qrow exiting from it.

''Aww~'' Kotori pouted again as the flames swam back to her, snaking around her like actual snakes ''I was sure I got you there''.

Another crimson portal opened, this time right behind Kotori. Raven exited the portal and swung her telescopic blade down at Kotori, only to hit a light grey dome-like barrier surrounding Kotori. Said girl smirked back at Raven, snapping her fingers as the snakes of fire dove at her, forcing her to hastily escape the blast zone as the tendrils finally collapsed into embers, dissipating shortly after.

''Damn shorty'' Qrow muttered as he straightened up, looking past Kenshi who was stoically standing in front of Kotori ''You're actually pretty good''.

A tic mark formed on her head ''Did you just call me short?!''.

''...Uh-huh''.

''Oh I am _so_ turning you into piece of charcoal old man'' Kotori growled with a twitching eye.

''I am not old!'' Qrow fired back, eye also now twitching.

''Are too!''.

''Am not!''.

''Are-''.

''Will you two shut up?'' Kenshi and Raven growled, the latter more angrily, obviously tired of their banter. Kotori pouted but nodded, sitting her broom on thin air and sitting on it, legs over the side.

''Kenshi, Angel of Death''.

''Got it'' The man grunted as he sprinted towards the Branwen duo, who merely narrowed their eyes. Kotori went airborne on her broom, actually flying on it as she hung around the edge of the arena, muttering something with her eyes closed. Qrow met Kenshi halfway with a heavy swing of his blade, only to be taken aback as Kenshi caught it with his bare hand, smirking as he kicked Qrow in the chest and send him flying across the arena.

Raven turned to engage him, only for Kotori to open her eyes as almost a dozen small, hand-sized fire Sigils appeared around Kotori, glowing fiercely. Another, larger one appeared in front of her, and she murmured something incoherent as the large Sigil glowed before firing a body-sized fireball towards Raven, who swore and dodged. The smaller Sigils activated and small missiles of flames shot out like bullets, creating tiny explosions on impact. They did little other than whittle away at Raven's Aura, but the explosions set her off balance enough that she was incapable of blocking the fierce kick that Kenshi delivered, sending her close to where Qrow had landed.

Said man transformed his weapon into its shotgun form, firing at Kotori, the bullets racing towards her only for the light-grey shield from before to flicker into existence, absorbing the shots until the bullets hit the ground, momentum gone. Kotori smirked as she sent another volley of pint-sized missiles towards the man, while continuing to ride on her broom around the edge of the arena, raining fire from the air. The projectiles kicked up a veil of dust around part of the arena, obscuring the Branwen twins. Currently the combatants Aura was; Qrow: 85%, Raven: 90%, Kotori: 88%, Kenshi: 78%.

''I know you alive in there~'' Kotori sang mockingly. A small crow abruptly landed atop her now-visible light grey force field, making her blink ''What's a bird doing in here? Shoo! Shoo! Get off my shield!''.

Kenshi's eyes widened ''Kotori! That not a real bird!''.

''Eh?'' Kotori blurted just as the bird flashed, transforming back into Qrow who held a smirk. His weapon transformed into scythe form and he spun, lashing out several times in a second with fluid, graceful motions. It happened so quickly, and was so mesmerising that Kotori didn't form another Sigil, too entranced until her shield shattered under the constant damage, making her eyes widen. As his weapon changed into its sword form she only just managed to raise her arms, a weak defensive measure active before the sword struck her, sending her sailing into the ground and creating a body-sized imprint on the ground, leaving her groaning.

''Get up pipsqueak'' Kenshi grunted as he blocked Raven's attempt to finish Kotori, blocking with his bare arms.

''I... am... NOT... short! Just... undeveloped...'' Kotori panted, stumbling to her feet with a light scowl ''Oh~ I am gonna burn, freeze, liquefy, solidify, burn, and then burn him some more''.

''Ice Phoenix'' Kenshi grunted as he blocked another strike using his Semblance, but his Aura was taking a beating ''Now''.

''Got it'' She panted as she closed her eyes, the temperature immediately dropping by five degrees, then ten, then fifteen, then twenty, then twenty five. Ice particles formed around her, dancing and sparkling like stars as she worked her magic, Kenshi blocking any attempts at hitting her. A few seconds later a large light-blue Ice Sigil formed behind her at ground level, which was followed up by a large, Ice Deathstalker skittered out, screeching.

''Go get 'em'' She grinned as her hands continued to do rapid hand gestures, the Deathstalker screeched in acknowledgement before charging Raven, who scowled and jumped back to avoid being skewered by its tail, slashing at its claw and forming a cut, but not shattering it like real ice. Qrow came from the side, jumping over the attacking claw and burying his sword in its 'head', and immediately its whole body stopped and crumbled, no longer alive but now just ice.

Kenshi, who had been watching, scowled lightly ''That was supposed to distract you for longer''.

''We've dealt with Deathstalkers before, its not too hard'' Qrow replied as he slowly approached, Raven hanging back as always.

''Turning into a crow, and being able to form instant portals... quite unique Semblances'' Kenshi said as he cracked his knuckles.

''Yeah, shame I cant pin down your Semblances, though I'd guess yours is some kind of defensive one while Kotori has a more offensive one?''.

Another glance to Eien, and then Kenshi replied ''Close enough. My Semblance is Damage Absorption. Eien said he based it off one of his friends Semblances, Yang I think he said''.

''Woo~'' Said cheer came from Yang.

''The more damage I take, the less damage I'll continue to take. As long as I have Aura, and after a certain amount of hits, I can't take any damage'' He said.

Qrow hummed ''That explains why you keep catching our blades''.

''Yeah'' Kenshi replied with a slight smirk ''Kotori on the other hand doesn't have a Semblance, per say... her soul is unique apparently, which lets her do... all that''.

''Huh, I should ask Eien about that then'' Qrow said with a light smirk as he sprinted towards Kenshi, blocking his strike with ease, only for a portal to appear behind Kotori as Raven stepped out. She swung down but the lithe witch smoothly dodged, flicking her wrist and sending a spike of ice towards Raven, who slashed it in half with ease.

Kotori narrowed her eyes ''I'm getting bored of this... wanna up the ante?''.

''Kotori...'' Kenshi said with a deep frown.

''Relax~! Its nothing they won't handle'' She said as she snapped her fingers, the already cold temperature dropping as she tapped in more to her power. A large Ice Sigil formed behind her, half as tall as the room and almost wide enough to reach from one side of the barrier to the other. From it, like with the Deathstalker, a dragon made from Ice walked out. It had more of a lithe form, with its arm attached to its wings and a long, whip-like tail with blue-and-white scales, looking more real instead of made from ice.

''The mountains shake as the dragon roar, snow falls and blankets its scales, armouring it and shielding it from its foes, I call upon the northern winters to shield my ally... Snow Scales'' Kotori recited, loud enough for the others to hear for once. The Dragon roared as its skin glowed, scales of white snow forming on its body before the light died, the Dragon glaring with ruby eyes at Raven and Qrow.

''...well that's new'' Qrow said flatly.

''Oh I can do _so_ much more than this, old man'' Kotori smirked ''But~ you wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm not Eien's second strongest for no reason... now go get 'em boy~''.

The dragon roared, stomping towards Qrow and Raven, who just dryly looked at each other, then sighed. Raven opened a portal and reopened it above the dragon, stabbing her blade down at it, only for the scales to make her blade bounce off it. She scowled, jumping off it to avoid its winged arm and charging for Kotori, Kenshi standing a little behind her looking bored.

''Really?'' Kotori said dryly ''You're coming for me when they're a dragon right beside you?''.

Raven didn't say anything, not like she did during a fight, but did curse when she was forced to dodge as a barrage of ice spikes shot at her, courtesy of a lazy swipe from Kotori. She growled as she couldn't even get close now, Kotori constantly barraging her with Ice if she got close. A medium-sized circle formed under her and she jumped to the side to avoid the oncoming attack, which turned out to be a pillar of ice, reaching as tall as the roof. Another appeared at her feet and she dodged, just a second before the pillar burst into existence.

Coming up with an impromptu strategy while Qrow distracted the dragon, she began wall-jumping off the sturdy pillars, dodging several lazy ice spikes as she did so before kicking off towards Kotori, taking a few ice spikes but ignoring them. She swung her blade down and Kotori widened her eyes, looking surprised, before smirking. A wall of ice formed between the two, and also encasing Raven's sword.

''Idiot'' Kotori mocked as Kenshi practically appeared under her, unleashed a vicious flurry of punches to her stomach, his fists a blur with the Wind Sigil under his feet, before striking her in the chin with a right hook, snapping her head back and sending her flying back, her grip on her weapon gone. She regained her bearings before she landed, gripping the ground and skidding to a stop, glaring at Kotori and Kenshi. She wasn't getting a break though, as the Dragon took that moment to bring its winged/clawed fist and smash it into her. Its fist being the size of her whole body, she went rocketing into the barrier, almost leaving an imprint on the it. However the dragons momentary distraction was long enough for Qrow to get under it, slashing with an Aura-enhanced strike and severing the whole head, killing it and making its body crumble.

''Raven Branwen is out'' Glynda called out as Raven's Aura dropped down to 8%. The student body were still watching with rapt attention, as they had since the class started - it wasn't everyday that a student came back from the dead, being able to summon living humans who were on par with a whole student team or teachers. Many were very curious about Kotori, as she was basically using magic, considering her usage of ice, fire, summoning and flight. The only one who wasn't avidly discussing it was Ruby, who just smirked the whole time, occasionally meeting Eien's hidden eyes and both of their smirks widened momentarily.

''You weren't kidding about being strong'' Qrow whistled as Raven limped off the stage, heading for the infirmary also ''Its a pretty unique Semblance''.

''Thanks'' Kotori beamed happily.

''No problem'' Qrow drawled ''Though I hardly think this is fair''.

Kotori rolled her eyes, once again sitting on her broom ''And? Either you surrender and we win, or our awesome teamwork kicks your ass and we win - I guess we overrated your skill, Hm?''.

Qrow twitched ''I'm gonna make you pay for that, midget''.

''Try it, oldie'' Kotori glared back, lightning now sparking around her.

''Eh... maybe another time'' Qrow finished lamely, sheathing his weapon ''I forfeit''.

''Qrow Branwen forfeits, Kotori/Kenshi are the winners''.

''Eh?'' Kotori blinked, taken aback ''That's it?''.

''Yeah, you outnumber me two-to-one, and both of your Aura's are already higher than mine, add in the fact of your magic-y stuff, I'll lose'' He said simply.

Kotori pouted ''Aw~ fine... but I want a rematch later old man!''.

''I am not old!'' He barked back as he left the stage.

''Keep telling yourself that'' She shot back as she floated off the stage on her broom while Kenshi just disappeared into a Sigil, re-entering Eien's soul. Kotori floated over to where Aria, Kindle and Eien were standing, also taking a spot there (mainly since the seats were already full in the auditorium... and because she wanted to be near Eien, since he was her creator).

''Hm... it seems I underestimated the strength of your Spirits'' Ozpin hummed to Eien, who was smirking smugly.

''Yes, vastly so'' He said smugly. Currently only Aria has lost, and that was because she underestimated her opponents.

''Well I suppose you wouldn't be against upping the ante once more?'' Ozpin quipped, pulling out his scroll to change the next people chosen. Eien smirked back at the elder man and nodded subtly, prompting Ozpin to change a few details on the counter. As the counter slowed, it revealed another surprise to the students and teachers, sans Ozpin and Eien; The 'team' was Glynda, Port and Oobleck.

''Ozpin?'' Glynda asked in surprise, looking at him, then the scroll and narrowed her eyes ''Sir...''.

''Hop to it, Glynda'' Ozpin smirked behind his mug, making the female professor sigh as she walked with her co-workers down to the stage, where Eien once again teleported down, once again speaking.

''Like with Raven and Qrow, because of your collective skill level you will be facing two opponents'' Eien explained briefly as two Sigils formed and raised the Spirits from within.

The first was a tall man, looking anywhere from his early thirties to his late fifties with short, messy brown hair that had a slightly wavy look with pointed tips like Eien's own hair. He wore an orange-brown shirt with a black vest over it, a pair of bronze-coloured slacks and black boots. He had a black belt on, with several bright-blue Dust crystals on the belt along with two handguns. They were rather bulky, and more notably looking like they were made from glass, considering they were totally see-through, the only thing not transparent being the Dust crystal currently within the gun, where a normal bullet would be in the chamber. On his hat was a cowboy hat, finishing his outfit along with a tired, if not bored look on his face.

The second was also a man, with short silver hair and squinted eyes. His outfit consisted of old-fashioned White Hakama pants, black sash and White Shitagi and White Kosode with long bell sleeves, hiding his hands. He wore oriental sandals with black Tabi, appearing unarmed, but after Kindle and Aria's performance it was questionable if he really was unarmed. He wore a mocking smile, looking in his early to mid twenties and rather skinny, though it was hard to tell through his clothing.

''Yare, Yare'' The silver man sang, a cheerful note to his tone ''Two on three? Dont'cha think this is a little unfair, Eien?~''.

''Not at all'' Eien replied before he vanished, reappearing back on the stage in a black reformation. The pre-fight timer counter down, leaving a little room for banter between opponents.

''What're yer names then?'' The silver-haired man asked cheerfully, practically bouncing on the spot.

''Glynda Goodwitch'' Glynda said crisply, adjusting her glasses as she examined their stances, only to find them in a formless stance, implying their fighting style could be anything.

''Bartholomew Oobleck''.

''Peter Port'' Port replied ''Yourselves?''.

''Gin, S-rank'' The silver haired man grinned, doing a mock-bow.

''Jaeger, S-Rank'' The brown haired cowboy said lazily, looking tired.

''Another two S-Ranks, Hm?'' Glynda mused ''And your ranks?''.

''Third'' Jaeger said disinterestedly.

''Fourth'' Gin grinned.

No conversation followed after that, just waiting as the timer counted down. As it got to three, Gin merely looking at Jaeger and called the codename ''Denial~''.

''Got it'' Jaeger grunted, flicking a switch on the side of his glass guns. The dial turned from '5' down to '2', lowering the power to limit destruction. Port and Oobleck nodded to each other and ran towards the Spirit duo, while Glynda stayed behind to observe and provide support. Gin went ahead while Jaeger hung back, lazily staring in Glynda's direction.

Gin drew a long katana from his sleeve, pulling it out in a flash and blocking both Port and Oobleck's weapons. The katana was longer than a normal one, pure white except for the gold trim on the guard and handle, and sky blue cloth dangling from the end acting as a tassel. With a rough flick of the wrist Gin broke the deadlock, making both sides skid back from one another. Glynda waved her riding crop and swung, sending several beams of purple energy towards both Gin and Jaeger. As they got close they abruptly went haywire before striking around them, inflicting no damage.

''Oh? I didn't think with those glasses your aim would be so bad'' Gin taunted with his grin withstanding as he almost casually held off a second strike from Port. He jumped back just as Oobleck swamped the area in fire from his weapon, avoiding it while keeping his semi-creepy grin on his face. Port ran in once again, attempting to blindside the man only for his weapon to once again be blocked, prompting him to spin in and point the blunderbuss end at Gin, who moved his head out of the way, the shots sailing past him and towards Jaeger, though they flew past without hitting him.

Oobleck came in from the side sprinting, firing off another burst of flames and prompting Gin to slyly dodge again ''Can't catch me~''.

Glynda huffed, sending a bolt of energy that went towards the ceiling, creating a large purple Glyph-Sigil that expanded to cover the area above Gin. Ice Spikes formed and shot down like bullets, but instead of striking Gin they changed course and headed towards the teachers. Both the males grunted as they withstood the storm using their Aura, while Glynda created a barrier to block them with a scowl.

''Might that be your Semblance?'' Glynda commented, as it was not normal for her attacks to do that.

''Perhaps'' Gin grinned widely as he charged the unprepared Oobleck, crashing his enlarged katana against his thermos, knocking the speedy man back ''Would it hurt for you to be a little more active, Jaeger-kun?''.

Jaeger sighed ''Fine...''.

Raising his right gun, he levelled it at the still-recovering Oobleck, before pulling the trigger. It shot a pure blue beam of raw energy at the man, crashing into him and causing an explosion and knocking the doctor back, Aura now dropped from 88% to 60% in that single shot, proving the power of the hand cannons.

''That's more like it'' Gin grinned ''How about... Hailstorm?''.

Jaeger sighed ''Alright''.

''Lets go~'' Gin cheered as he once again led the charge, heading towards Port. His katana glowed a pale blue and he jumped, doing a roll in the air before planting his blade in the ground, a large flame-like mound of spike-tipped ice forming. Port stumbled back, spinning his blunderbuss around to smash the ice, only for a low buzz above him to draw his attention. Jaeger floated in the air, both guns pointed down at Port, one simple comment from Ozpin cracking through the momentary silence.

''Oh dear''.

Like a hailstorm the tactic was named for, Jaeger unleashed a literal storm of energy blasts, dozens fired in a flurry down at Port. It kicked up a cloud of blue and white smoke from the raw energy, the air static around them. Silence reigned over the arena for nearly a minute before the smoke cleared, showing an unconscious but very much alive Port, much to Jaeger and Gin's surprise.

''Huh... tough guy'' Gin said, returning to his normal cheer as Glynda used her Semblance to lift him out of the arena and onto an awaiting stretcher by the edge of the arena. Gravity returned to Jaeger as he fell, landing in a crouch with his guns facing skyward.

''Professor Port is out'' Ozpin called over the mic, since Glynda wasn't there.

''Ready for round two?'' Gin called, bouncing on his heels like a kid as he spun the blade by the handle, still faintly glowing despite no Dust visible on the weapon. Oobleck shared a glance with Glynda, who nodded and waved her riding crop and send another volley of purple energy beams at Gin and Jaeger. Jaeger just sighed as Gin grinned wider, the projectiles crashing around them but not hitting them. This obviously annoyed Glynda as she tried again, using more, but the result was the same. Gin ran and met Oobleck halfway, katana meeting thermos as they fought for dominance. They broke the deadlock a moment later, Oobleck ducking under a swing and trying to strike from the fight, only for Gin's blade to whip back and block it, slashing the doctors shoulder in the process.

''I'm bored'' Jaeger said lazily as he took aim at Glynda, pulling the triggers and sending two blasts of energy at her. A swift flick of her riding crop sent them away from her, but she felt her telekinesis waver as they were redirected at her, exploding at her hastily-raised shield.

''Yare... guess I should finish up, can't have Jaeger getting even more bored'' He grinned widely as his swings suddenly picked up speed, surprising the doctor and thus allowing the silver-haired man to bash the hilt into his forehead, knocking him out at 32% Aura. Glynda scowled as the cloud dissipated, only for another, stronger volley to crash down, shattering the barrier and crashing into her, her Aura taking the brunt of the explosions and knocking said Aura down to 17%.

Through all of this, Jaeger had only needed to tap into his Semblance less than a dozen times, dropping his Aura down to 89% while Gin had only sustained minimum wounds and used his Semblance constantly, since it was a passive type, and his Aura was down to 78%.

''Do ya surrender?'' Gin grinned as he jabbed her direction with his katana.

''...Yes, I surrender'' Glynda scowled as she stormed off the stage, carrying Oobleck off with her Semblance.

''...somebody's pissed'' Jaeger summed up simply as he sighed, Ozpin announcing their victory before he disappeared into a Sigil. Gin however remained, joining his companions on the stage. The crowd were still somewhat stunned by the display. It was short, and it wasn't as flashy as the previous one, but the teamwork was excellent. As the counter spun, Ozpin and Eien shared a glance.

''Up the ante?'' Eien asked, a dangerous smirk on his face.

''Hm, you know there is only one way to go now'' Ozpin, sharing the smirk.

''I know'' Eien smirked as Ozpin sighed, walking onto the stage as his face appeared on the screen - to the students shock, once more. Eien joined him, walking this time instead of using SchattenSchritt. As he walked he reached into his cloak, before slowly pulling out an onyx black katana, similar to Gin's but not as long. Speaking of Gin and the other Spirits, they disappeared into their owns Sigils, since it still cost Eien some Aura to keep them summoned.

''The final match of the day will be between myself and Eien'' Ozpin spoke loudly, enough for the students to hear. The counter began counting down, nearing 15 seconds until the final fight. The class had not anticipated this, as they had not seen him fight before, but also assumed this would not include Eien fighting. As the timer ticked down the whole room became silent, when a single voice spoke up.

''Kick his ass Eien!'' Ruby shouted, grinning. Eien nodded in her direction, smirk widening a fraction as he did so before returning his gaze to Ozpin.

''I do hope you intend to take this seriously'' Eien said as he rolled his shoulders, Ozpin having left his mug and scroll somewhere nobody knew.

''Of course'' Ozpin nodded as the countdown got to three as he held his sword-cane in his right hand ''This certainly will be an interesting fight''.

''Indeed'' Eien replied as the buzzer sounded, but neither moved. Silence reigned as they simply stared at each other. Nearly a minute passed before anything happened, that of being Eien's body glowing a soft purple as the hem of his cloak floated slightly, a gust forming.

''Time to get the show started, Hm?'' Eien murmured as abruptly a dozen purple pencil-sized missiles formed in the air around him before shooting at Ozpin. The man merely watched as they got close, before his sword moved so fast it was a blur before returning to its starting position. A moment later a dozen small explosions echoed behind him, kicking up a harsh but brief wind.

Eien disappeared, his form turning pitch black before dissipating into SchattenSchritt. A loud clang was heard as Eien's katana met Ozpin's sword, the latter holding it above his head to block the strike, still looking faintly amused. Eien smirked at him again as an Ice-blue Sigil formed at Ozpin's feet, forcing him to break the deadlock and dodge to the side to avoid a sudden pillar of ice. He spun on his heel and raised his blade as it clashed with Eien's once more, kicking up a shockwave as both of their Aura flared momentarily, Ozpin's a khaki green while Eien's was purple.

They broke off from the deadlock only to engage less than a moment later, this time Eien going more offensive, lashing out with jabs and thrusts with his sword, which Ozpin deflected with effortless haste. Ozpin lunged out at Eien, only for Eien's body to shatter like glass, prompting Ozpin to spin around to block Eien's attack, the real one behind him. No words were said as Ozpin unleashed a flurry of slashes, only for Eien to block them - barely though. He jumped back to avoid another attack from Ozpin, pointing his blade at the headmaster as a purple ball of condensed Aura formed, before shooting at Ozpin like a laser. The headmaster merely jumped out of its path, letting it crash into the barrier and cause a decent explosion.

The grey haired man sprinted then, incredibly fast despite his age. Eien's form once again shattered on impact as the real Eien dropped from above, a black gravity Sigil behind him as he clashed with the headmaster, the man buckling under the force exerted. Ozpin grunted as he gathered the strength and shoved Eien back, the student doing a flip in the air before landing on his feet a few feet away.

''It seems you have gotten better at using your ability'' Ozpin mused as he straightened up again, his Aura at 97% while Eien was at 95%.

''Mm, its much more efficient now that I don't openly have to say the name before using it'' Eien replied before he disappeared. Unlike previous times, his form didn't turn black like with SchattenSchritt, instead he literally vanished in a second. Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he waited. He didn't have to wait long as Eien's body reappeared to his right, the sneak attack sadly failing as Ozpin easily blocked the attack.

''Invisibility?'' Ozpin mused once again as their blades fought for dominance, only to break apart a few seconds later. Eien scowled lightly as he drew out a bullet from inside his cloak, holding the hand out to the side before a flash obscured it, blinding everyone momentarily before they saw it. In place of the bullet was now Judgement, though its blade was more curved and clearly sharper. Eien spun the scythe around in his left while gripping the sword in his right, sighing with a smile.

''Seems that I shouldn't have tried coming into battle half-cocked, using only one of my two weapons was rather silly''.

''Duel-wielding a Sniper-Scythe and Sword? That's uncommon'' Ozpin hummed, though uncommon was a rather bland phrase for it. Only one person prior had down such a thing, one that happened to be related to the young Haizen.

''Perhaps'' Eien smiled mysteriously before he teleported with SchattenSchritt, reappearing above Ozpin. He lunged with Judgement, yanking the polearm back once Ozpin fell for the feint, bringing Ozpin's sword to the side and allowing Eien to deliver a solid slash down Ozpin's torso, covering almost his whole torso. The man, surprisingly, didn't falter or stumble, instead his knee smashed into Eien's nose before his sword came down on his shoulder, cutting into his skin slightly before his body shattered. The real Eien appeared a dozen feet away, smirking.

''A teleportation/illusion Semblance?'' Ozpin muttered as he stared down Eien.

''Yep'' The teen said plainly ''I created the souls of my Spirits, I can tap into their Semblances and use it in place of my own, though I can only use one at a time. Any soul that is within mine allows me to tap into their Semblance, as you may have seen''.

''I see'' Ozpin commented before he was suddenly in front of Eien, surprising the teen greatly as he dodged a swift slash from the headmaster. A ivory white Sigil appeared at his feet and sent him airborne as he tucked into a ball, spinning rapidly as he descended. As he got close he uncurled, Judgment flying like a shuriken at the headmaster, who swung his blade to deflect it but greatly underestimated the kinetic force behind it as he as was sent skidding back a few feet. The scythe seemingly had a mine of its own as it rose into the air and slashed down at his back, prompting the headmaster to spin on his heel and block the blade.

Eien appeared behind Ozpin, lashing out and scoring a diagonal slash on his back, before the headmaster whipped around like a bullet and scored an identical mark on his chest, cutting into his cloak. Eien grunted as he hopped back, spinning his sword before also throwing it like a flail. Ozpin merely knocked the sword aside, letting it bounce off and stab into the ground at his feet. However it glowed a bright purple, making his eyes widen before he was engulfed in a dome of purple energy, roaring and pulsating but not expanding like a normal explosion. It didn't take long for it to fizzle out, and when it did it revealed Ozpin with slight burns on his clothes, his Aura fading as it had protected him.

''Aura Construction? It seems that I have underestimated you if you are capable of such a feat'' Ozpin mused.

Eien smirked ''I believe we've messed about enough, care to take off the kiddy gloves?''.

''Indeed. Wouldn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary'' Ozpin returned the smirk as he reached for his glasses, taking them off before crushing them in his palm. Immediately his Aura flared to life around him, brighter than before, almost lime green. The ground beneath him even cracked under the pressure of his Aura, so potent it was affecting gravity.

''Impressive'' Eien hummed as his own Aura flared to life ''Seele Mitteilung''.

A gust was kicked up after those words were said. A white swirl of energy engulfed him like a miniature tornado, enshrouding him for a few moments before revealing his form. Unlike the others his had four wings in an 'X' shape, being white with a black outline. His cloak had changed to be half black, half white - the white side having a gold outline while the black side had a silver one. His hair had also become half-white under it, much like Mona's appearance, and his purple pupil also now had black sclera. He floated for a moment, the amount of exerted energy enough to reverse gravity to an extent, before it calmed down and his feet touched the floor.

''I believe the real fight starts now'' Eien smirked as he vanished, reappearing behind Ozpin and slashing down with his sword. Ozpin blocked it, creating spider-webbed cracks under him, and swiftly dodged the attack from Eien's second weapon, his scythe. Eien pursued him, spinning his scythe and slamming the blunt end on the ground, using it to vault over Ozpin and clash blades mid-flight, the man having seemingly unbeatable reflexes. Currently, Eien's Aura was at 70% while Ozpin's was at 74%, showing Ozpin was still ahead of Eien.

Eien jumped back, dodging a swing from Ozpin in the process, and threw Judgement once again. The blade sped up on its own, kinetic force building from no visible source as Ozpin wisely dodged it, scowling when the blade came back around like a homing missile, still spinning. Eien muttered something under his breath before a large Sigil appeared above Ozpin, who did not notice it immediately as he deflected the homing scythe, only to notice the Sigil above. A titanic bolt of thunderous lightning shot down, striking Ozpin and engulfing him in a six metre thick area of pure lightning. It lasted only a few seconds but when it cleared it showed Ozpin hunched over his cane, a green shield around him, protecting him.

''Huh'' Eien said lamely before pointing his blade towards Ozpin, a purple sphere forming on the edge before it shot out with a low hum, his Scythe flying back into his hand. Ozpin dodged the beam as he sprinted towards Eien, covering the distance in seconds, clashing blades with the shorter teen and knocking him back with a surprising amount of strength, prompting him to stab his scythe into the ground and use it as a swing, launching himself back towards Ozpin. Before he clashed an ivory Sigil appeared, shooting him upwards where a black one was waiting after the anti-gravity one disappeared, shooting him down like a meteor at Ozpin. The elder man grunted as they clashed, gravity adding to the weight of Eien's attack. A soft green glow surrounded Ozpin's weapon before a beam of energy shot out pushing Eien back before exploding, sending the teen tumbling back before he found solid footing.

Another Ice Sigil formed under Ozpin's feet, forcing him to jump to the side to avoid an ice pillar, only for several more to burst into existence around him, though he dodged them before they formed. Eien used a Wind Sigil and shot towards Ozpin, clashing blades and carrying his momentum, letting him use additional Wind Sigils to bounce off each of the pillars and increasing said momentum until he was a literal blur, rivalling if not surpassing Ruby's maximum speed. Ozpin barely managed to turn and block the sword that came for him, and when he did the kinetic force behind it sent him sailing through an ice pillar, skidding to a stop, and revealing that Eien had not hit him, but instead it was his sword.

Eien himself clashed with him then, shooting like a bullet with an identical sword as causing a crater to form under Ozpin as the two entered another deadlock. It only lasted a few seconds before Eien broke off, jumping back a dozen feet and glancing at the Aura metres. Eien was at 60% while Ozpin was at 58%. Eien raised a hand and flicked his wrist, instantly forming and firing a purple projectile that looked like a bullet. Ozpin dodged it, letting it crash behind him and creating another dome of purple energy, shaking the ground around them from the force, but neither fighter was affected.

Ozpin once again charged and covered the distance between them in seconds, sword coming down and clashing with his opponents own. Eien smirked as he opened his then-closed free hand, revealing a ball of pure energy, which pulsated and exploded, engulfing the duo. They both jumped out of the explosion at opposite ends, but blurred back in, their resulting clash dispelling the lingering smoke cloud. Ozpin's knee shot up like a bullet at Eien but the latter dodged back skilfully, almost expecting it as Ozpin's attacks slowly gained speed, cuts slowly forming on Eien as he was incapable of keeping up with the man's sheer speed. He saw a brief opening and took it, opening his palm and releasing a strong pulse of Aura, creating a shockwave that sent him flying back and causing Ozpin to stumble.

He used it to his advantage, the shockwave sending him flying back into the barrier where a Wind Sigil formed, which shot him upwards into a gravity one, which then led to another trail of wind Sigils. In an expertly planned manoeuvre Eien blurred around the arena, almost leaving rings in the air from the speed he was going at. Soon he reached his goal and hit the last Wind Sigil on the ceiling, sending him crashing straight into the ground, implanting his blade into the ground, and surprisingly not creating a crater, all of the kinetic force just vanishing. He looked up at Ozpin and smirked, making the headmaster narrow his eyes in suspicion as Eien charged.

When he got close his blade glowed, and when their blades clashed it released a titanic shockwave against Ozpin, all of the kinetic force having been compressed and energised within the katana. The man was sent flying back with some blunt trauma and a gash, barely managing to skid to a stop before blocking a second, weaker but still strong strike. Eien went sailing past before he turned on the spot, kicking off and getting in another deadlock with Ozpin, creating a shockwave between them.

''Kinetic Absorption and Projection'' Ozpin nailed down as they broke apart, both panting. Eien was at 35% since he had summoned all those Sigils, while Ozpin was at 38% because his Aura had to absorb all that force. Only a handful of minutes remained on the clock ''Its a miracle my weapon didn't shatter''.

''Yeah'' Eien agreed as he straightened up ''Lets up the ante, Hm?''.

''I agree'' Ozpin nodded as his whole form glowed with his Aura, wisps of green energy glowing around him. Eien did the same, but with purple wisps. The glow melded with their swords, causing them to hiss and vibrate as they did so. Both of them held a grin before they practically vanished, reappearing halfway and creating a shockwave as they met, moving past the other only to turn heel and clash in a deadlock. A flurry of slashes, blocks, counters and jabs moved too fast for even Ruby to track, their arms merely a blur before they broke apart. They only skidded a few feet apart before Eien swung, sending a wave of purple flames at Ozpin, who retorted by flicking his wrist and sending green flames at him. The flames roared against one another before exploding like Fire and Dust, but the aftermath was kicked away as the fighters met amid the smoke, clashing once more.

Another flurry of thrusts was sent by Ozpin, which was mostly blocked by Eien who retorted with swift but heavy slashes, adding several more cuts to the mans suit. Eien backed off to avoid another slash, instead swiping at the air and sending a wave of energy at Ozpin, who replied with his own wave of energy, exploding both of them before returning to melee combat. It persisted of another flurry of strikes and more wounds to both parties, their Aura's dropping down into the twenties before they were sent flying back from another shockwave, courtesy of Eien.

''Hm, it seems this cant carry on much longer'' Eien noted, both because of the time and aura levels ''Lets finish this, shall we?''.

''Indeed'' Ozpin grunted as both of them concentrated their Aura to its max, before charging once more. Their blades clashed and they skid past one another, time seemingly slowing as they didn't move. Silence reigned once more until it was broken as a large gash formed across Eien's chest and back, cutting off the lower half of his cloak and only leaving the hood. Ozpin got his own, nigh identical wound a moment later as his outer suit was torn to shreds, fluttering to the ground. Both fighters stumbled before planting their blades in the ground, supporting them as they breathed heavily and glanced up at the counter.

 _Eien: 9% / Ozpin: 14%_

''Damn... you... win this... time... Ozpin'' Eien grinned weakly as he gasped for breath, his monochrome wings dissipating into wisps of energy and his appearance reverting to normal. Ozpin just grunted as he fished out a fresh pair of glasses, putting them on and sealing his titanic power once more. As they both made their way to the infirmary.

''Eien is out, the winner is Headmaster Ozpin'' Glynda called out, having returned to the mic shortly after her fight ''Class is dismissed. Because Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck are currently unavailable, their classes will be cancelled today. Good day students''.

* * *

''You were holding back, weren't you?'' I muttered as we walked down the infirmary halls, which were rather empty.

''Of course'' Ozpin replied evenly ''If I were to go all out I would've blown up the whole school, it was only prudent to take caution''.

''I see'' I hummed, taking another bullet from my belt and transforming it into a fresh cloak, the tattered remains of the last one turning to ash.

''Meet me in my office in ten minutes, alone'' Ozpin said, his voice distant and I turned, only to blink owlishly when he was no longer walking beside me.

I sighed, running a hand over my face ''You are a strange man, Ozpin''.

Instead of carrying on into the infirmary I tapped into my Dunkelheit, my purple eye flashing slightly before my vision became black, my form reappearing back at the dorm room of my team. I pulled out my scroll from my belt, which I had Risa retrieve from Ozpin a while back, and scrolled through my contacts. Ended at the one I wanted, I gave it a call.

 _''Y'ello?''._

''Hello Roman'' I smirked.

 _''...Eien? The fuck I thought you were dead! Oum only knows what the hell you've been up to. Speaking of which... what're you calling me for? Kinda getting ready for my next heist in two hours''._

''Nothing big'' I hummed ''But~ I wanted to know, since you're still doing it, how've you been doing it? If I remember correctly, quite a few of your former companions are here at Beacon or with me?''.

 _''Junior's thugs and some White Fang grunts''_ Roman explained in a lazy tone _''Why?''._

''Give me the location of the heist and I'll drop a few friends to help out''.

 _''...Alright, what're their names?''._

''Neo and Risa''.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's that. There will be more Spirits introduced and older ones (Eleanor, Doran, Neo(?)) shown. Next chapter and probably the one after that won't focus on the main plot too much, since I've been a bit too focused on it so far, and we'll just kick back a bit and have some character development and fun.**

 **In either the next chapter or the one after that I'll focus a bit more on Eien's Spirits. I know not everyone likes OC's but I feel that if I'm going to add them, then I may as well give them some character instead of being background people.**

 **Once again some of the spirits personalities or appearances are based upon anime characters, here's a list;**

 **Mona = Original Design.**

 **Kenshi = Kensei from ''Bleach''.**

 **Kotori = Lolikiano from ''The Gamer''.**

 **Gin = Gin from ''Bleach''.**

 **Jaeger = Starrk from ''Bleach''.**


	17. Chapter 17: Downtime

**A/N: Someone asked what Eien's new personality could be most related to out of all the anime characters knew. Here's my perfect answer; Kisuke Urahara from Bleach. Also, sorry about being a few days late, I was on holiday at the time and the resorts internet came down for a few days, but now I'm back. Updates should be 4-5 days apart unless I give a reason as to why, but one might be the plot bunnies that are converging on me.**

 **Send help.**

 **This chapter contains a shitty Omake at the bottom, and I'd like it if you could tell me if it was amusing or not, 'cause to me it was barely humorous so... yeah. Love you guys~**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 17: Downtime I**

* * *

The streets of Violet City were rather quiet at this time of day. Violet City was situated on the west coast of Mistral, a large city based on a Cliffside to the vast oceans. Violet City was one of the few large settlements outside of the capital, Mistral - bearing the same name as the continent, much like all the other kingdoms. Violet City had been successful in survival because of one fact; because they did not need to build a 360 degrees wall (since the cliff was too steep for Grimm to climb), they only had to build it around the side where land Grimm could come in while building anti-air weapons facing the sea. Most sea Grimm couldn't reach up at Violet City, and the _very_ few that could didn't bother.

A dozen miles to the east was the infamous Mistralian swamps, and a little past that was the remains of Rockledge Town, having been widely said it was destroyed by a powerful dragon Grimm before said dragon was taken down by a lone man, bearing a black cloak and wielding a scythe. Currently, Violet City was pretty low on the crime scale, much like the other kingdoms; just a few robberies every now and then. Today however, the first major heist would occur in a while. Led by one Roman Torchwick. Said man was currently in a back alley with a dozen of Junior's thugs and a dozen White Fang grunts, all impatiently hiding in the shadows.

''How much longer?'' One of the grunts grumbled. They'd been waiting for almost an hour after all.

''Quiet'' Roman also grumbled. He was about to give Eien a call before he caught a glimpse of a person entering the alley, hiding in whatever shadows they could find during the daytime. They came into view, revealing it to be his old partner Neopolitan, one who he was sure was dead, but he wouldn't question it. From beside her another person practically appeared - invisibility? - on the spot, smirking.

Judging from their faint but noticeable curves and bulge on the chest, they were female. She wore a red vest with a high zip collar underneath a dark, pale purple-grey hoodie with a headphone design on the hood. Her jeans are green with white insides, with her shoes being mint green trainers, no weapon visible on her person. Her hair was a darker, almost khaki green and stopped at her chest, though she had her hood up at the moment. Her eyes were a bright ruby red with small, black slit-like pupils.

''Neo! Good to see you'' Roman grinned lopsidedly as he walked out of the shadows to greet them ''And I presume this is Risa, great to meet you''.

''A Pleasure'' Risa said with a half smile, one that greatly reminded him of Cinder's half-smile, but she dragged out the 'S' a lot more in her words ''Apologies for being late... it does take a while to come from Vale to Mistral''.

''Lets go ahead then, shall we?'' Roman suggested with a smirk as they moved down the street, the grunts following.

''So, what might be we doing?'' Risa asked, walking beside Neo.

''Simple. At the end of the alley, across the road, is an SDC Headquarters building. Its currently empty because they're hosting a party on the other end of town with all the employees, and all that's left is a dozen or so Atlesian Knights or whatever. Plan's simple; we move in, bust down the front door, make our way to the basement floors where they keep the Dust _and_ keep a _very_ special set of Dust crystals, immensely worthwhile''.

''I see. If I can procure one or more of these crystals and return them to Master, he might be able to replicate them without reduction in quality'' Risa replied, once again dragging out the 'S'.

Roman gave her a surprised look ''The kid can do that?''.

''Indeed'' Risa replied, voice smooth as they walked onto the quiet street ''But for now, let us begin''.

They broke into broad daylight, since it was around lunch time, and only a handful of people were still present at this part of town. Those who did however, grew fearful and high-tailed it out of there as soon as possible. The group ignored them and fast-walked over to the SDC building, a large, towering complex that had several sub-floors beneath the construct. Two WF Grunts kicked the door in, and true to their information no staff was present, at least visibly.

''Alright, Risa and Neo - you're with me. Grunts, you wait here and kill any cops, alright?'' Roman drawled, getting a nod from all ''Well then, lets get this show on the road!''.

* * *

My footsteps were quiet in the halls of Beacon, people chatting amongst me. Because two subject teachers had been put in the infirmary for the day because of the sparring matches, many were out of classes and avidly chatting in the halls, a few dropping to whispers as I passed. Kotori was cheerfully walking beside me as we walked to Ozpin's office. I remained silent while Kotori hummed a tune, and I found it made the trip much more enjoyable even though it only took two minutes to reach the elevator.

''Wait here'' I asked, not facing the girl.

''Fine~ don't take too long'' Kotori pouted childishly as she pulled her broom out of nowhere, sitting it on air and taking a seat, leaning her back against the wall. I shot her a smile before I entered the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor as classic elevator music played. I waited for nearly a minute before the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, allowing me to walk into the headmasters office. I was curious on what he wanted me for, though it was obviously private considering he did not do it earlier. He was sat in his chair with a repaired outfit, facing away from me and staring out the window. Silently I took a seat, waiting for him to say something. I was content to wait.

''You've improved rapidly since you've come to Beacon'' Ozpin said mysteriously as he paused to take a sip of his mug ''And even then you have a vast amount of potential. Do you know that many of the greatest weapons, aside from Dust, were lost prior to the Great War? They were capable of many things depending on who you asked, and what you spoke about, but one phrase that always came around... was Magic''.

''Magic has long since been a part in fairy tales and fictional stories, taking on various forms and types, effects, everything about Magic is varied and differentiated. Yet despite it reoccurring, century after century, the general public has yet to witness a solid, real case of true Magic. Semblances and Auras were originally thought to be Magic, but of course time dispelled those theories... leaving true Magic in the past, forgotten by time. Many will believe that your Sigils are Magic, and rumours might start... but the important question? Is it Magic?''.

He paused, spinning his chair to look at me ''I have not been entirely honest, nor has your mothers journal, both about Dunkelheit and everything pertaining to the Haizen family''.

''I see'' I responded with a light frown ''Enlighten me''.

He nodded ''Dunkelheit is not what you believe. It was not created through Dust infiltrating a persons body, such a thing is nearly impossible, and it would be guaranteed to be lost over several generations. Dunkelheit is in fact the product of Magic from over a millennia ago, back when the German language was still present in Mantle, when Spanish was used in Vacuo, when Japanese was used in Mistral. It is a binding, a Magic formed in the soul of everyone of the Haizen family, and will continue for future generations regardless''.

''Have you ever wondered why you never knew your last name from birth? It was to protect you, to protect you from those who knew of this, to stop them from tricking and manipulating you before you had a chance to grow your own opinions and views'' He paused for a sip of tea, ignoring my stunned expression ''This measure was taken from centuries ago, first integrated when I was still in my prime...''.

I blinked, frowning a moment later as I mumbled ''Centuries ago... but then-''.

My eyes shot wide open and he chuckled, nodding ''Yes. You are not the only one who is the pawns of the gods''.

I gawked, genuinely shocked for the first time in months ''So you knew my ancestors?''.

''Knew them?'' He outright _laughed_ ''I _am_ your ancestor, the very first''.

I blinked owlishly, jaw low, before my hand slapped my face.

''Oh hell'' I face-palmed, groaning ''I _knew_ there was something odd ever since we first met... so not only are you immortal - against age at least - you're also the very first Haizen of the family, _and_ have some amount of correlation with the Arcane Arts... _and_ that means so do I''.

''Correct'' He said smugly, as if he had been waiting to drop this bombshell for months.

''And that also means my Sigils have been Magic''.

''A less powerful one, but yes''.

''Aura Construction?''.

''That's a descendent of Magic, possible for those who do not have Magic flowing through their veins'' He said, before adding ''That is also why your blood has unique properties - it has Magic in it, therefore affects things differently''.

Face still in palm, I asked ''Who else knows about this?''.

''Nobody outside the Haizen Family, so I do advise you to not share this publicly, though I have a feeling you will eventually share this with your teammates''.

''Yeah'' I mumbled, drawing my palm back from my face, revealing my frown. Sadness and Despair whipped at my chest like snakes, but like many things in life I ignored it ''I'll have to tell them eventually, especially about _that_ ''.

''Mm, it would be best to do so soon, no longer than a month''.

''Yeah, when the time is right'' I sighed, nodding ''So... what now?''.

He hummed ''Well, we continue. Salem, Cinder and the White Fang have been dormant since you died, though I do not know why. With your Spirits, nothing short of several of Salem's personal soldiers will be able to defeat you if you choose to summon allies to assist you. The students can benefit from you putting them through some more... harsh training, and overall now is a sort of downtime, a calm before the storm''.

''I guess'' I hummed, leaning back in the chair as I gave him a smirk ''Any Magical tricks to pass down, Ossan?''.

''Hai'' Ozpin smirked back.

* * *

 _''Kotori, go on without me, I'll be busy with Ozpin for a while. Don't piss anybody off, excessively, and don't blow up the school, or parts of it. Feel free to summon the others, but don't overdo it''._

 _'Okay~'_ I replied in my mind. After waiting a little longer to see if he wanted to tell me anything else, I took off on my broom. Said broom was passively powered by my Aura, allowing it to levitate and fly wherever I wanted. Eien made it, obviously, but it was as much a part of me as my clothes, not literally but metaphorically. I hummed a tune to a song in my head as I flew through the halls at a languid pace. As I passed many waved up at me or pointed, murmuring stuff I didn't care about.

 _'I'm bored'_ I sighed, puffing out a breath as I made my way outside. There was nothing to do. That was probably one of the bad things about being strong; fighting wasn't any fun unless you were fighting someone who could actually match you. I might as well summon some of the others, see if they have any ideas. Risa and Neo were away on a mission that Eien assigned, so they were out. Eleanor and Mona were no fun, Jaeger was too lazy, Kenshi and Shu were too serious, Doran was constantly busy training or meditating. That left only three; Aria, Gin and Kindle.

Summoning the three, Gin almost immediately asked ''Are ya bored, Kotori-chan?''.

''Yeah'' I puffed out a sigh, lying on my back on my broom ''There's nothing to do''.

''Well~'' Gin grinned even wider ''We could ask (E)RWBY, JNPR and AREME and see what they're doing~''.

''We don't know them though'' Kindle pointed out rather lamely ''We only know them through Eien''.

''And what better time to meet them?'' Gin retorted with his usual grin, already strolling in the general direction of the dorms. Me, Aria and Kindle shared a glance before shrugging. As long as we didn't do anything too bad, Eien wouldn't mind. Hell even if we did, he'd just give a stern talking to.

Following on my broom, Gin led us towards the dorms, where I created one of Eien's Sigils and forced it to carry and lift us up to where ERWBY's dorm is. The window, like most days, was open and Ruby, Blake and surprisingly Adam present within the room, Yang and Weiss nowhere in sight. Ruby was lying on her bed, face-down while Blake was reading peacefully on her own bed, Adam also reading while leaning against the frame of the bed.

''I'm bored~'' Ruby groaned, disrupting the quietness of the room.

''So are we'' Gin grinned, causing Blake and Ruby to yelp in surprise and Adam to flinch in surprise.

''Fucking hell'' Ruby cursed when she fell off the bed, poking her head out.

Gin tittered mockingly ''Now, now Little Rose, its not good to swear''.

Ruby glared ''Oh screw you Gin''.

''Ma, Ma, why the hostility'' Gin giggled childishly, mockingly.

''Maybe because of the amount of pranks you pulled'' Ruby twitched, more annoyed than she usually was with Gin, probably because she was surprised. Ruby and Gin weren't buddy-buddy, but Gin's tendencies aside, they're friends. Not close ones, but friends regardless, as she is with practically all of us Spirits, sans the newbies who Eien's hinted at, but won't let us see. My attention was drawn back as the door opened.

''We're back-'' Yang had begun to say when she paused, a confused look on her face ''Since when were we having a party?''.

''We're not, we're bored'' Me, Aria, Kindle, Gin and Ruby all say in tandem while Blake and Adam don't offer a retort.

''Hm~ What to do indeed'' Yang hummed as she skipped and jumped onto her bed, making the springs groan. Weiss walked into the room, sitting in her own bed with a huff.

''I agree, with the free time we have gained because of the fight, we haven't got much to do - and we can't leave the school since we've got classes later in the day''.

''Hm... nope, I got nothing'' Aria hummed, leaning her elbows on the windowsill - we were still outside, standing on the ivory Sigil (or in my case, floating above it on my precious broom).

''Isn't there anything we could do? Fighting's out of the question after Eien and Ozpin trashed the arena'' Yang grumbled lightly ''That fight was _awesome_ , by the way''.

''I agree, Eien certainly has improved greatly in the time he was... gone'' Adam spoke up quietly, using the last part with slight bitterness.

''Hey, we all have'' Yang defended, smirking at Ruby ''And Ruby in more ways than one''.

''Oh Oum don't get me started on the noise'' I muttered, twitching. While it was more of a long-running joke to embarrass Ruby, Eien and Ruby did still 'do the deed' more than a few times, and the noise kept _Death_ awake. It was horribly embarrassing.

''Shut up!'' Ruby hissed quietly, blushing.

''Anyway~'' Kindle whistled, blushing also at the memory ''Is there anything else cool to do?''.

''Nope''.

Cue hours of boredom.

* * *

Unfortunately for many students, Oobleck was quick to get back into his position as teacher, and also just in time for third period. ERWB(Y), J(N)PR and ARE(M)(E) were present - Yang, Nora, Mercury and Emerald not present, having different classes. Oobleck was still zooming about the room as if the fight hadn't happened, showing no wounds or difficulties from the result of the fight. Currently, he was ranting about Aura, Semblance and their ties to the soul.

''Yes, many theorists believe Semblances to actually be a mutation of sorts, created when the soul needed it most. Semblances are often known to appear when a person is in a life-or-death situation, and when Aura is not enough, the persons Semblance is born. Many also believe it is formed because of a concentration of Aura that builds up over time, and is forced to create the Semblance or will go through a process known as Soul Suicide, in which too much Aura in built up and results in various bodily failures, and also occasionally several mental failures such as migraines, unconsciousness, memory loss, and much more''.

''While cases of Soul Suicide are much less frequent in recent years, when humanity first discovered Dust it was a very big issue, so much so that it was estimated that every one in ten hunters would potentially die to Soul Suicide. The main cause of this was because back then, Semblances were a rare thing, and it is presumed through natural evolution that they became more common to the point of which 80% of Secondary Schools Students, such as Beacon, are in possession of a Semblance''.

''Now, can anyone tell me _when_ the increase of Semblance Awakening initially started?'' Oobleck asked after a brief pause. For a few moments no hands rose, confused and slightly despondent murmurs from the class. They'd only got off break recently, so nobody had expected it since this was a new subject. Finally, one lithe hand rose from the back of the room, belonging to Eien.

''115 Years ago, with the main amount of Semblances popping up in Vale and Mistral'' He said, his usual friendly, calm smile on his face.

''Correct!'' Oobleck nodded, pausing briefly for a sip of his coffee ''And does anybody know what might have caused such sudden spurt of growth?''.

Again nobody answered immediately, until Eien once again raised his hand ''Many believe that it was because of the surge of Grimm activity in what was a mini-war against the Grimm, in which the Grimm made a second attempt at erasing Humans and Faunus, the first being the First Grimm War. While theorists do not know wholly what caused the increase of Semblances, many believe it to be because of the many life-and-death situations the soldiers were put through... this is not _entirely_ true''.

''Do tell'' Oobleck replied, sipping his coffee.

''While the many life threatening situations did have a hand in the increase of Semblance awakenings, the main factor was the fear that was felt'' Eien lectured, pausing for a moment ''The fear that the prospect of dying, the fear of facing creatures that could tear a man limb from limb, the fear of not returning to their families, it doesn't seem to matter on what the source of the fear was, but the fear itself. The fear made the soul go into a sort of 'passive overdrive', forcing the soul to produce more Aura than necessary, which was also a reason why Soul Suicide was a commonality during the early phases of the war. This, when discovered by a small group of scientists in Atlas, caused them to use Soul Suicide as a method of combating the stronger Grimm, forcing high-degree criminals to become walking bombs against the Grimm''.

Many cringed at the thought, some gasping while others just winced faintly. Death by killing yourself in the face of Grimm wasn't the most pleasant thought.

''Regardless, it appears fear is what was, and still is, the main cause for awakening a Semblance, though the reason behind the fear seem to now play a role in it'' He continued ''A good example is when Jaune unlocked his Semblance, by getting trapped in a cave and fighting against a seven hundred year old Duststalker, one that was quite near to evolving into a Grimm-Human through 'new' means. He was desperate, since the Duststalker had many advantages over him, and while not prominent, he did not fear dying, but not being able to come back to his friends who assisted him through his time at Beacon, therefore his Semblance was unlocked, the power of the Semblance both being because of his heritage and massive Aura capacity''.

Jaune, who was sitting a row down from Eien, blinked ''I don't remember telling you that...?''.

Eien chuckled, holding out his right hand as a small, golden-white orb appeared in it, floating slightly ''Your soul contains your memories Jaune, and I'm relatively versed in the usage of Souls''.

Jaune blinked, once again not understanding, before it clicked and he sighed ''I feel like I should be bothered by that''.

''Perhaps so'' Eien chuckled as the blue orb faded from existence ''Its more of a matter of opinion and trust opposed to fact''.

When Jaune's face showed his confusion, Eien sighed ''It depends on if you trust me to keep your secrets, opposed to the fact I possess them''.

''Oh~'' Jaune drawled, nodding ''Yeah''.

Smirking slightly, Eien nodded back to his friend as Oobleck spoke up again ''Eien, would you mind giving an example on Soul Structure, since you are versed in it?''.

''Of course'' Eien smirk grew faintly as the palm that was still extended once again glowed faintly as another sphere formed into existence. This one was a royal purple in colour, but also held no glow like Jaune's did.

''This here is the base of any Soul, akin to the spine of a body; its needed for the Soul to survive, but on its own its useless. The base of any Soul is needed for the Soul to hold itself together, and without it the Soul will crumble in on itself and destroy itself'' Eien explained crisply, pausing as he raised his other hand, a faint purple glow shining from it, and also from his sole purple eye. The Soul itself glowed faintly, growing in size by a few millimetres and glowing ''Now, I've added what could be dubbed the 'heart' of the Soul, which pumps Aura throughout it instead of blood''.

Nobody noticed Oobleck rapidly writing notes, too enamoured by the sight of Eien's 'example' as his free hand went under the bottom of the literal Soul, the glow brightening slightly ''The outer shell of the Soul protects it from disintegrating from existence, while also assisting in holding the whole thing together. From the state its in now its relatively akin to a normal person with their Aura unlocked, sans the body of course. However, I personally have a mentally inability that prevents me from feeling fear, and as I have previously stated is key to unlocking a Semblance - which is likely why I unlocked my Semblance from a young age, if not birth. Because of this, since I am unable to feel fear, I cannot mould a Soul to feel fear - since I've never felt it, I can't fully program what it feels like. With this in mind, their Semblance should be popping up right about... now''.

On cue with his words did the Soul tremble slightly. It dilated in size slightly, expanding dramatically before returning to normal size. Slowly, a part of the Soul - the right side - became a lighter lilac colour ''That is what a Semblance looks like to the Soul, it alters the colour depending on the colour of the soul - if the colour is darker, then it gets lighter, and vice versa. During this process so far, I've idly been implanting the required memories into the Soul, their personality, etc. It means they have no trouble in language, though being freshly created does tend to make a new Soul a bit... confused. It takes a freshly created Soul a few hours, possibly a day or two before they fully adjusted and fully alert because of the fact they do not grow from a baby into their form, but rather are created in their current age as you see them''.

''And finally the Soul is ready, now the body is needed...'' Eien continued, snapping his fingers as a grey Sigil appeared to his left in the gap between him and the wall, where a comatose-looking body formed. The body was female, with long black hair that stopped just above her waist, with her bangs passing her chin and cupping her face. She was relatively young looking, about the same as Kotori, Era and Reality. The body wore a white, long sleeve coat that ended in three petal-like partings with a grey-silver collar that was over a black, long-sleeved dress. The skirt was also a grey-silver colour with a white trim, with black leggings and heels.

''Now the Soul merges with the comatose body...'' Eien added as he moved his hand over to the body, which was leaning on the seats. The Purple Soul was gently pressed against the chest of the body, around where the heart was. A few seconds passed before the Soul slowly melted into the body, soon disappearing as a faint glow encompassed the body. A majority of the students couldn't see, since Eien was higher up than they were, but the people on the same row as he were able to watch (though they mainly consisted of his team and one or two unfamiliar students).

After nearly a minute of ensued silence, violet eyes flickered open ''Otou-san(Father)?''.

''Nokori(Rest)'' Eien replied to the soft-spoken girl, both using words unfamiliar to those around them. The girl, looking equally confused and tired, merely nodded as her eyes closed, a grey Sigil forming under her as her body disappeared into it, back into the Soul of her literal master.

''And that's the process of how I create a Soul'' Eien smiled as the bell went off, signalling the end of class.

* * *

Nearly an hour after the end of Oobleck class did ERWBY finally return to their dorm, having been in Professor Peach's class on plants and medical uses of Aura. Eien's little display had earned them a lot of attention, with many wondering on if Soul Creation was his Semblance - since nobody outside close friends knew it was Matter Manipulation. Regardless, while the attention was almost laughable at first it quickly got annoying after it was near constant, and even Eien had slowly felt it (Even though he hid it in the name of politeness).

Still, it was a relief to return to the safety of their dorm, all of them collapsing on their beds with a unified ''Ugh''.

After a few seconds silence, Weiss spoke up ''Was it such a good idea to openly show how you did that?''.

Eien, who had his face in his pillow, nodded and turned his head so they could hear him ''Yeah, unless they're advanced in Aura Construction, Aura Manipulation and have a Semblance similar to mine, then they won't have a chance in hell of replicating it - and I kept out some important information for that very reason''.

''You should be a teacher'' Yang joked half-heartedly.

''Perhaps so, I could make an interesting class'' Eien chuckled with a smirk.

''Just don't forget to bury the bodies'' She shot back humorously.

''I won't need to'' Eien smirked, getting a deadpan from everyone in the room.

''Please don't try''.

''Killjoys'' He pouted, rolling onto his back as a small Sigil formed, a book popping out ''Now lets see... what to name her weapons?''.

''The Soul you made you mean?'' Blake clarified and Eien nodded ''What happened to her? She disappeared into your Glyph-''.

''Sigil''.

''-Sigil and since then you haven't said anything about it''.

''Well, she's currently with Kotori and Eleanor, getting used to things - I've also decided to call her Homura, its suits her'' He nodded to himself, crossing something out in his book with a pencil he pulled from nowhere ''Now... maybe I'll call them Smoker and Flashbang, with her third weapon called Eruption... eh, it'll do''.

''Are you going to tell me what these weapons are?'' Ruby perked up slightly, grinning.

''Two silver Colt M1911's and an M72 LAW, both use a unique ammunition that only she can use with the help of her Semblance'' Eien chuckled in the usual amused tone he's always used, though it had a tinge of something else in his tone.

''No transforming weapons?'' Ruby pouted.

''Nope'' Eien shrugged ''Most of my Spirits are reliant on their Semblances, like Kindle and Aria, while others are reliant on their weapons, like Jaeger''.

''What were their Semblances? - Jaeger and Gin? They, nor you, announced them or displayed them'' Weiss asked as she got comfy on her bed, seeing as the whole team would seemingly be playing catch-up for a while.

''Jaeger's is Retina-Telekinesis, anything he can see he can move without even twitching a muscle, and in his released form it allows him to move people around too. On the other hand, Gin's is Threat Detection, which allows him to see incoming moves long before they happen. The best example is him seeing what move you intend to make in future, thus making him one of the strongest melee fighters I have because of his capacity to block and counter almost anything, even bullets, and also have the knowledge to incapacitate an opponent in seconds''.

''Huh, no wonder they're so strong'' Ruby hummed from across the room ''Are you ever gonna stop making them? Spirits?''.

''I don't exactly have an intention to, its fun~'' He smiled cheerfully ''Plus it means if a situation every arises where Hunters are needed, but are not available, then I have a small army I can deploy in seconds''.

''That's so unfair'' Yang bemoaned teasingly ''And you can create their Semblances, so you could just give them something totally overpowered for the hell of it''.

''And I intend to'' Eien grinned widely ''I intend, once I can, to create one that can warp space and potentially time, and another that can predict the future, and one that cannot even die~''.

They all just sighed ''You're insane''.

''Partially'' He pouted. Silence ensued for a few moments of peace, before Yang broke it once more.

''Hey, you never told us about who the strongest was'' She pointed out with a curious look ''Kotori mentioned it, but other than that you've been pretty quiet about it''.

''And I intend to'' He smirked ''I will tell you a little about him, but I want to keep him as secret as possible, after all there is a reason why many of my Spirits fear him''.

They all frowned ''Fear him?''.

''Indeed. He's ruthless, bloodthirsty, doesn't hesitate, lacks many morals, and has a pinch of sadism added in for good measure. He's everything I'm not, and I mean, for the most part, _every_ aspect'' Eien explained seriously, and at once all four of the girls swore they saw a white figure behind Eien, but it was gone when they blinked ''Despite that, he is as much a comrade as the others, and believe me there is a reason he's my strongest fighter, not counting the fact Kotori is downright terrified of him, hell even being in the same building as him makes her nervous and jumpy''.

''Why would you make him like that?'' Weiss was the one to ask, frowning.

''Because of Empathy'' Eien explained eloquently ''I am Human, and as a Human I have psychological limits on what my mental state can take before I would 'break down', everyone does. Empathy also has the effect of making one hesitate on when doing something immoral or unempathetic. _He,_ however, doesn't have such mental limits or excessive empathy. For all intents and purposes, if you told him to go maim someone for the hell of it, he'd probably do so - and enjoy it''.

''So you created him as a weapon?''.

''A failsafe'' Eien corrected ''His Soul is unique compared to the others, and while I will not disclose all the information, the primary factor is that his is what I call a self-regenerative Soul. This means if he dies, he'll come back from the dead in a few hours or less, regardless of how he died. Even if his Soul is eviscerated from existence it would come back, even if I die, he'll come back and become an independent Soul. The whole purpose of him is that if something was to happen to me that took me out of the fight or killed me, then he would take my place and repeatedly assault the enemy, being technically unkillable its only so long before he wins''.

''Well its... unique'' Ruby smiled slightly. Honestly this person didn't sound too appealing to be around, but he couldn't be _that_ bad. Eien made him after all.

''Its actually funny in a way, this whole Soul Manipulation'' He grinned at them ''Technically I can observe _your_ Souls, and then make identical copies of you... I could make an army of Sun's too''.

Blake shivered ''I still have nightmares''.

''I'm not surprised'' Eien mumbled ''The thought of a thousand me's is a weird thought''.

''You can clone yourself?'' Weiss blurted, surprised.

''Technically yes, since I'm just copying my own Soul, but there's complications on why I don't'' He said with a slightly serious tone, before shaking his head, dismissing the thoughts behind his mask ''Regardless, I believe I should meet up with Homura and the others, get her settled in - care to join me?''.

''Eh?'' All but Ruby said in unison, the latter just shrugging.

Eien quirked a smirk ''What? I'm capable of creating living beings, _Grimm_ , any object made from matter within reason, I came back from the dead, and you're surprised I can let others enter my Soul?''.

''With you, nothing is surprising'' Ruby sniped from across the room, wearing a smirk.

''Indeed, lest you lose your mind'' He said as he stood up, donning his normal cloak, not bothering to shrug out of his uniform ''Regardless, you coming or not?''.

Blake, Weiss and Yang all looked at each other, before shrugging ''Sure''.

Smirking, Eien snapped my fingers as the air next to him shattered like glass, a dimension gate that allowed access into his own soul, something Life taught him during his stay within Death's Soul. He walked backwards into the portal, fading from view as the other hastily followed, shimmering from existence as they entered.

* * *

Eien's Soulscape (as he called it) had changed a fair bit during the twelve months he had been dead. It was still a land of grassy hills and a cool breeze, but unlike before it was now capable of becoming night-time - because he had died, which was apparently a metaphor for it. Night being the end of the day, death being the end of life. Since he also had 'residents' he had constructed houses for them to live in, since it appeared even inside his soul his Semblance worked. It was through talking to Life that he learned that while this was his literal soul, it did not mean it was explicit to much change. In other words, he could blow up a mile-wide crater and nothing would happen to his soul.

He had tried it anyway, success.

Each of his spirits had their own houses, and because this was only a 'manifestation' of his soul, food was not an issue but more of a commodity. It wasn't necessary for them to need to eat, but they could 'spawn' food if they wanted to. It was a little complicated, but he didn't question it very much. He never did. Apart from that, he had also _found_ a few rivers and a waterfall or two, but he had never explored his whole Soulscape, mainly because it was huge and - according to Life - growing as my Aura Capacity did.

''Here we are'' I said with a smile. The houses were more dotted around than in a formation, but it was nicer like that. Some of them had small gardens, some massive ones, some had nothing at all. All of the houses and the area around them were tailored to the persons personality, style and interests. An example is that Kotori had a relatively big library in her house, which was more like a witch's tower than anything. Doran, on the other hand, had a more oriental styled house, with paper-like walls and a wooden frame, with a tiled roof with wooden indents.

''Huh... you built houses since I last saw it'' Ruby commented. Since we lived in Death's Soul during the majority of the time during the six months of training, she hadn't seen that I built houses, as she had said.

''Well yeah, they need a place to sleep... though Jaeger likes to sleep on the grass'' I shrugged. We had spawned outside my own little house, which was a large, almost mansion-like house. I didn't initially know why I made it so big, but I guess the ultimate reason was that because of my growing population, and if the event ever arose when all of them needed a room to stay, then they had one.

''Who's owns this one?'' Yang asked, jerking a thumb to the building.

''Mine, though Eleanor is here often cleaning, though I do not know why she enjoys doing it'' I chuckled in amusement. I honestly didn't know why she liked coming to the large mansion and cleaning, dusting and redecorating occasionally. I hadn't given her that quirk when I created her, but then again she was human - she developed habits, and I cant imagine her sitting doing nothing for days on end.

All of them had something to occupy themselves; ' _He'_ trained himself day in, day out in an attempt to surpass me. Kotori read a lot and messed with her Semblance in an attempt to create new 'spells', and from the knowledge I had gained (and gaining) from Ozpin it was giving her something interesting to do. Jaeger sleeps, a _lot_. Gin pulls the occasional prank, trains, and occasionally paints. Kenshi trains a fair amount, stopping only to start again later. Risa plays card games with Gin, pulls pranks, and hangs with Neo often, _and_ has skill in writing. Eleanor cleaned, decorated and painted. Aria spars with others, has surprising skill in cooking and sleeps more than most, sans Jaeger. Shu trained, and other than that I didn't know much about what he did.

Doran trains as much as Kenshi, but also reads quite a bit and has a fair amount of skill in painting. Mona read and write often, and Kindle liked to join Mona when the latter was reading her book aloud. All of them had their own quirks, opinions and personal pleasures. I didn't mind what they did in their free time, since there was a fair limit on _what_ they could do. Physics still applied to an extent, such as gravity and universal laws, and while some could be defied, some also remained.

''Huh'' They all just said ''Never took you for someone who liked a big house''.

''Neither did I'' I mused with a light smile ''Though it does mean you can walk the halls dramatically if necessary, does help with thinking''.

''Well it looks nice'' Yang grinned and I smiled, nodding.

''Thanks, I'll have to leave you in Kotori's care, as it appears I am needed elsewhere, though I will be back shortly'' I smiled, doing a mock-bow.

''So you're just leaving us here?'' Blake said dryly, amused.

''Yep'' I chuckled ''See you soon, bye~''.

My vision became onyx black before it returned, my location now displaced as I left my friends in the hands of Kotori, who had been heading their way when he left. His form had dematerialised from outside his mansion over to a small, almost cave-like area. The best name for it would be a grotto almost, being a grassy cave with a small opening above me with a small lake on the far side of the cave. It was an expansive network of caves, and this was where several of my soon-to-be newest Spirits 'lived'. There were a few houses above in the open, but they came down here to train in secret. Before him stood his newest Spirits, one's who he had been training for the past two months in private.

The first was a man in his forties if not older, being quite tall at over six foot tall. He was a lean-built, and stoic middle-aged man. He has pale skin, high cheekbones, stubble, and long ragged black hair with brown highlights. His attire consists of a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with a burgundy highlight that flares out into ragged ends. He wears brown-tinted, semi-transparent wraparound sunglasses. His name, was Juha.

The second was a teenage girl around the same age as the others during their first year, seventeen and with a bust to match. She had slightly messy black hair that had two small, almost unnoticeable ponytails on the side of her head that formed naturally, grey eyes and a small grin on her face. She wore a white vest with black outlines with a light pink undershirt with matching black outlines, a black skirt with a pink outline on the hem and a pair of metal-and-leather gauntlets on her forearms with black fingerless gloves underneath. She had a single stocking on her right leg, but not on her left. She also wore silver metallic boots with roller blades on the bottom, which she used for both assisting in fighting and for fun. Her name was Chrystal.

The third was a relatively tall woman in her mid-twenties, with long dark ginger hair that covered one jade green eye, the other uncovered. She had a fair amount of freckles on her face, having a fur cap on her head for style. She had a dark green vest top, black jeans and a black leather jacket with fur cuffs over the vest, the leather jacket left open. Unlike her two companions, her weapon was actually visible on her person, being a heavy calibre sniper rifle that was slung over her shoulder, the sling diagonally across her torso to prevent it falling off when not actively holding it and moving. She, was Natasha, or Nat for short.

''Are you ready?'' I asked, not specifying the question. Not that I need to.

''Of course'' Juha nodded stoically.

''Hell yeah'' Chrystal smirked, Nat just nodding lazily. I nodded back at them as I tapped into my Dunkelheit, extending the effects to the three others as my vision swam black, my form distorting and becoming as light as a feather, before gravity and physics returned and my vision joined a moment later. I reappeared outside my little abode once again, the other three appearing once again with me. A calm breeze was now blowing from the north, and down a slight incline (a very smooth hill you could practically roll down painlessly) and down the flat area a little was a large football field-like patch of raw dirt. It was one of the few training areas around my Soul, which had a barrier around it to protect the outside area from damage while also muffling the sounds and shockwaves. They were the only place fighting was allowed, as to protect the rest of the area from destruction.

Eleanor was fighting with Gin, even though she was at a severe disadvantage. Her weapons, duel Sai's, had less than half of the range of Gin's Katana. Gin was stronger in every aspect, _and_ his Semblance had a severe advantage over hers, since he could combat it if she used it, and she knew it. Still she was making a valiant effort, having dealt a couple of wounds against the taller man. However the fight finally came to an end as Gin snuck inside her guard and bashed the pommel of his sword into her chin, stunning her and knocking her onto her back as he pointed the tip of the katana at her throat. She stared for a few seconds before sighing and nodding faintly. Gin retracted his sword and Eleanor got up, flipping the Sai's and sheathing them in her sleeves like Ren did.

''Good to see you aren't slacking in your training'' I commented with a light smirk, making both spectators and combatants jump.

Gin recovered quickly, grinning ''Well 'course, you'd think'a some kinda punishment then''.

''Point taken'' I chuckled, dramatically sweeping my arm behind me ''Juha, Chrystal, Natasha, meet... well, a portion of your brethren. Gin, Eleanor, Kotori, Homura, Kindle and Aria - and Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, though they're not Spirits as you know''.

''A pleasure to meet you'' Juha inclined his head at all of them.

''Hi!'' Chrystal grinned and waved enthusiastically, like a much more hyper Kindle... or even a combo of Kindle and Aria.

''Hey'' Natasha just nodded, smirking faintly... before turning around and walking away ''I'm gonna find somewhere to sleep, see ya''.

''...Does she do that often?'' Kotori blinked, sitting on her broom. I turn to Juha with a raised brow and he nodded, while Chrystal was more vocal about it.

''Yeah... she's lazy like that'' She sighed, pouting a little as he rolled back and forth on the balls on her heels ''So~ what do we do now?''.

''Party~'' Aria cheered, only to get a deadpan from me ''Please?''

''Aria-''.

She got right in front of me, pulling puppy dog eyes (despite being a Fox Faunus) and a quivering lip. I grimaced and looked away, only to find _Yang_ and Chrystal doing it too. I sighed, nodding as all three girls cheered in victory. It wasn't a danger to be honest, the only thing I was hesitant about was since I created them, and by the same method that I was unable to feel fear, they also had a high alcohol tolerance. Which meant it could take a _long_ time for them to get drunk, if they even would.

''Fine... just try not to mess the place up too much, alright?'' I sighed and the three girls nodded vigorously, heads blurring up and down before dashing away ''I understand Yang is a party girl... but has she taken the title to heart?''.

''Only recently'' Blake explained with a fond smile ''Apparently her Semblance is stronger if she has even a small amount of alcohol in her system, though we cant seem to find if the amount of alcohol affects it''.

''...So she's resolved to get herself drunk a lot?'' Both Ruby and I question, neither of us having been present at Beacon for the past six months.

''Yep'' Blake drawled amusedly.

I chuckled ''Well I'll join in a bit... I have to give a visit to someone''.

''I'll-be-at-the-house!'' Kotori blurted a second later, practically teleporting away from the small group. Eleanor had a small frown on her face from my comment, Gin grinned a little wider, Juha nodded idly, Kindle looked uncomfortable and Homura looked confused. It showed their relationship with _him_.

''Who?'' Ruby questioned with some degree of innocence.

''Perhaps you'll find out later'' I said, giving her a quick kiss before disappearing with Dunkelheit. My form rematerialized on top of the clock-tower in the distance, a fair distance from everyone elses buildings. It was a simple construct made from brick with a bronze interior, emerald lining a straight line on each side of the wall on the inside as you ascended the stairs. At the top was nothing, it looked like a clock tower on the outside, but on the inside was nothing, just empty space. At first glance.

I reached into my cloak, pulling out a Monochrome Dust crystal, my own make. I dropped it carelessly, letting it shatter as it warped the air around it, but since this was in my soul I controlled what happened. To an extent. I knelt down and put my hand into the gas-like residue, coating my hand in a tar-like monochrome substance. It stung a little, but my pain tolerance allowed me to ignore it. Once it was more gel-like, I stood back up and swung my hand in a slash, my hand in a claw motion. It created a tear in the air, making a thin Monochrome portal, which slowly began leaking Monochrome tar, but _really_ slowly.

Ignoring it, I stepped through the portal and found myself in a Monochrome, morbid recreation of my Soul. I sighed, activating SchattenSchritt as soon as my feet touched the white grass, taking me into the attic of the mansion. The whole world was black and white, but still light enough to see things. Tar substances littered rivers or puddles of mud, and was dripping through the attic ceiling. Within the attic were many paintings, all of them in colour, standing out clearly against the monochrome background. On a monochrome stool sat a person, who casually spun around to face me.

They wore a stark white cloak, a white shirt underneath, white pants and boots with matching lases. Their hair was chin length, being ivory white, their eyes being a royal purple with a black sclera background to them. The person wore a wide, near insane grin, as our mostly-concealed eyes met.

 ** _''Yo, Eien''._**

''Hello, Nein''.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's the end. Like the ending? Why is Nein a nigh-identical copy of Eien? Who is he really? What's his purpose? All will be explained in time.**

 **I hope you liked that Eien's Dunkelheit was actually Magic all along, a basic form regardless. Roman's little escapade will be shown next chapter, or at least the rewards of it. How'd you feel about Ozpin being the very first Haizen, making his name Ozpin Haizen. Someone actually guessed back in chapter 7 that Eien and Ozpin were related somehow since both lacked last names, and here it is. Haizen doesn't mean a colour because of one reason; the Haizen family has existed for centuries, so the colour rule doesn't apply - also counting why Ozpin isn't based on a colour.**

 **Eien gave a little demonstration on Soul Creation, giving a little insight into the workings. For those wondering why Eien's friends don't seem too surprised by anything, its mainly because Eien does weird things often, and so they get used to it. He could ride on a Grimm and they wouldn't give it a second thought. Anyone a little interested by Jaeger and Gin's Semblances? Retina Telekinesis is powerful in that you wouldn't have to move a muscle, but at the same time it means you have to take your eyes off your opponent to do so, especially with multiple projectiles.**

 **As per usual, the characters that I based the appearance/personality off of;**

 **Homura - Homura Akemi from ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica''.**

 **Risa - Kido from ''Kagerou Project''.**

 **Juha - Quincy Zangetsu from ''Bleach''.**

 **Chrystal - ? _inspired from_ ''Kantai Collection''.**

 **Natasha - Original Design.**

 **AND AS PROMISED, A CHIBI OMAKE SESSION~**

* * *

It was a normal start to the day in Team RWBY's dorm for the most part, Eien was always the first to wake up, and after a little bit he woke up his teammates, shaking their shoulders and waking them. Groggily they sat up on their beds, and in unison froze. Why? Because near the foot of the beds, were what could only be described as Chibi version of themselves in combat gear. Slowly, all eyes turned to Eien, who was fully dressed in the Beacon Uniform... with a mini-him on his shoulder, dressed in his signature black cloak and concealing the mini-him's eyes.

''What...?'' They all muttered, rubbing their eyes.

''Get ready for class'' He said, flashing a mischievous grin ''Our little companions will be joining us''.

* * *

Weiss came out of the bathroom last, looking down at the Chibi Weiss that stared back up at her, arms crossed. The Chibi's, despite slight height differences, were only the size of their hands, so _really_ small. Neither party had said anything to one another, sans Eien who was quietly conversing with his Chibi form, who was still sitting on his shoulder.

''Alright, are you going to explain?'' Weiss huffed, giving a light glare at Eien. Ruby's Chibi was currently sitting on Ruby's shoulder also, Yang's was sitting on Yang's bed and Chibi Blake was just staring at Blake, who stared back.

''Nope!'' Both Eien's smiled widely, before the elder one spoke ''For the next little while, you, JNPR and AREME will have Chibi versions following us~ They're real people too, just really small and adorable''.

''We are pretty adorable'' Chibi Blake agreed with a confident nod, smirking at her counterpart.

Abruptly the door to their room burst open, Reality and Era abruptly burst in, their Chibi counterparts sitting on their heads, small ball-like hands gripping their heads to prevent them from falling.

''Oh...'' Era mumbled, both of the young girls calming quickly ''So we weren't crazy... there is just a bunch of Chibi people invading us...''.

''Chibi versions of AREME, ERWBY and JNPR'' Eien corrected cheerfully.

''Oh...'' Era repeated, nodding as she reached up and picked up the Chibi version of herself and blushing, hugging it ''Kawaii~''.

The Chibi Era said nothing, merely blushing and accepting her real counterpart's hug. Reality on the other hand had Chibi Reality sitting on her shoulder, humming a song and swinging her legs cheerfully.

''Eh, I can work with this'' Reality shrugged lightly as to not knock off her passenger ''Its like another me''.

''Except twice as adorable'' Chibi Reality said smugly, getting a light glare from the real one.

''I am going insane'' Weiss muttered with her face in her hands as the Chibi version of her scoffed, looking away. Blake and Chibi Blake were still staring at one another. Chibi Ruby and Chibi Eien were now flying around the room on a Sigil while the regular sized counterparts were sitting on the latter's bed, relaxing before they had class.

''Oh good, I wasn't going insane either'' Jaune commented from the hallway, looking at the rooms inhabitants with his own Chibi in his hands, looking quite unwell at the moment - probably from how Jaune was shifting from one foot to the other, constantly moving. As JNPR filed into the room also, it showed Pyrrha having her own Chibi in her arms, Ren's on his shoulder, and Nora's... on Ren's shoulder also. It should've been expected.

''Time for class~'' Eien sang as he left the room, leaving his friends to follow. The Chibi's all shared a look before shrugging, looking at their counterparts expectantly. They all sighed, before following. Chibi Ruby and Chibi Eien followed on their little flying Sigil.

As one might expect, they got many odd looks that day.

* * *

As the three main teams walked into Professor Ports class, all of the students - and Port - blanched at the sight of a secondary person somewhere near to the person. Adam had his Chibi sitting on his shoulder, Emerald had hers on her shoulder, Mercury's on his shoulder, Reality's in her arms, Era's on her head, Ruby and Eien's were floating on a Sigil, Yang's on her head, Blake's on her shoulder, Weiss's on her shoulder, Jaune's on his shoulder, Pyrrha's in her arms, Ren's and Nora's on Ren's shoulders while Nora skipped next to him.

''Don't ask'' At least half of the them all said at once before proceeding to their seats, Chibi's in tow. Despite the initial weirdness, most students were able to ignore it - mainly because weird things happened around Eien. The Chibi's just sat on their desks, staring down at Port as if to dare him to speak out about it. Honestly the professor had seen many strange things in life, but living Chibi's was new. It didn't help Eien's Chibi was casually floating around Eien's head.

Port however continued with his daily class, droning exuberantly on about his fight against an C-Rank Grimm using only his bare hands, while most of the class tuned him out. The Chibi's, having been creating mainly in appearance and personality opposed to based upon their Semblance, just entertained themselves by either messing with one another or by assaulting their real counterparts, but because of their size and lack of fingers, they basically just threw themselves at them.

It was amusing for both of the Eien's, who merely watched. Chibi Blake occupied herself by pulling out a Chibi-sized book. Yang was trying to catch her Chibi, who had fallen off the desk onto Pyrrha's head below. Both Ren's merely stoically watched, both Nora's (not-so)quietly conversing with one another about sloths, Jaune and Pyrrha's were politely listening to Port's rabble, Chibi Ruby whispering with Chibi Reality and Chibi Era, Chibi Mercury relaxing and Chibi Emerald lying on her back in boredom.

Finally having enough of it, Port sighed ''Eien, I would appreciate it if your... smaller friends could be quiet''.

''Of course'' Eien merely smiled, not question how Port presumed he was responsible for it. Abruptly a low engine whirl entered the room as a small Bullhead flew into the room, hovering above the desks. Chibi ERWBY, AREME and JNPR jumped up into the Bullhead, before it turned and flew out the open door.

''Well that's one way of doing it'' Adam muttered.

''Don't worry, I just sent them on a mission somewhere'' Eien cheerfully informed ''Chibi Nora is leading it, so probably a mission revolving around Sloths, Pancakes, and Breaking Legs''.

''Oh Oum...'' Weiss murmured, face in hands ''Please just kill me now''.

Somewhere else in Beacon, a man cried as a Chibi Army descended on him and broke his legs.


	18. Chapter 18: Facility

**A/N: Sorry about this being a few days late, my internet was down for a bit and apparently it was for a couple others in my street.**

 **Also, we hit 9K Views, 54 Favs, 59 Follows and 25 Reviews :3 Love you guys~**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 18: Facility**

* * *

''I. Regret. Everything'' Eien muttered, his face flat against the desk in their dorm.

Ruby laughed sheepishly, rubbing his back ''Heh... who knew you'd get drunk from it? Hehe...''.

The situation? Eien had just-so-happened to forget a simple, yet important detail when he allowed the others to party; that it was in his soul. All the other times when his Spirits consumed a large amount of alcohol, it all totalled up and then gave the negative hangover effects to Eien... meaning that since Chrystal, Aria and Yang consumed 10 bottles each, it all effected him. Effectively giving him a massive hangover of titanic proportions, to the point where he was excused from classes all day.

And it was only his second day being 'alive' again... what a life.

''Don't worry, Nurse Ruby will look after you~'' Ruby grinned.

From across the room, Yang grinned ''Heh, Kinky''.

Ruby looked confused for a moment, before blushing furiously ''Y-Yang!''.

''Volume'' Eien groaned.

''Sorry~''.

* * *

Thankfully, Aura worked wonders on a hangover, add in Eien's 'tricks' the hangover was resolved by the next day. The week passed without much incident, with Eien - for lack of better word - taking over the Combat Class, and Glynda Goodwitch had no problems with it, even going as far to take a holiday. It was quite amusing, especially when teaching the first years, along with third and fourth years. Today Combat Class was the final class of the day today, and it had just ended with a fight between Eleanor vs NDGO, with the former winning after being forced to use her Semblance, which ultimately turned the tables in the match.

''Remember class, tomorrow's combat test will be tomorrow! I want the whole year at the Helipads by one o'clock tomorrow afternoon! I advise packing some survival gear too. This test will count for 20% of your combat grade, so don't even think about slacking~'' He called out as the bell rang, the students groaning at the prospect of a test while others were curious about it, some even looking a little afraid - Eien had developed a reputation during his week of being alive, one that added onto the one he had prior to his death. Strong enough to spar with an S-Rank Hunter like Ozpin, coming back from the dead, able to create living beings on a whim, it wasn't surprising after reading those three facts.

Even so, his team waited behind as the other students left the room, likely to recover from today's training and to rest up for tomorrows test.

''So, what's the test gonna be?'' Yang asked with a grin.

''Not telling'' Eien grinned back ''But, it does have something to do with fighting''.

''Well that wasn't obvious at all'' Blake rolled her eyes amusedly.

Eien just chuckled ''You guys should also prepare. Since I'll be busy I won't be assisting you in the test, so Ruby will be the designated leader''.

''Woo!'' Ruby cheered with a lopsided grin.

''Pack some survival gear, and prepare for a lot of fighting, that's all I'll tell you'' He grinned ''Tomorrow will be quite... interesting, one that will mark the start of a more intensive training regime''.

''What'll the death toll be?'' Yang joked lightly.

''I'm expected around ten to twenty'' Eien chuckled, making Yang pause.

''...You're serious aren't you?''.

''Absolutely~''.

* * *

After (E)RWBY left, I sighed to myself and I snapped my fingers, feeling my soul burn a little as I forced a dimensional gateway to appear, letting me in. My vision disappeared for a few seconds as a feeling of weightlessness overcame me, before it returned as I reappeared outside my little mansion. Funnily enough, the person I was looking for was already waiting for me... or maybe she had read my mind, since she was one of the few of my Spirits who actively did so.

''Hello Risa'' I smiled amicably at Risa, who smirked back.

''Welcome back Master~'' She purred, dragging out the 'S' like a snake, then again she was a Snake Faunus, the only signs being her slit-like pupils and forked tongue ''Have you come to see the _merchandise_?''.

Rolling my eyes at the provocative tease, I responded ''The Dust, Risa, the Dust''.

She pouted ''Fine~ Its in the basement''.

Nodding, I allowed her to lead me to the basement, ignoring the sway to her hips. Risa had a sort of 'snake' attitude; sneaky, sly, teasing, and all things around it. She was great at stealth, infiltration and persuasion, shown by her persuasive skills on Ruby, a memory best left forgotten lest Risa read my mind once again. I hadn't found a way to stop her from doing it, because any mental barriers I put up she just slithered around. I had made her so good at infiltration that she could infiltrate my own mind.

My mind was brought back to reality as we entered the basement, coming through a hatch on the floor of the storeroom. The basement was relatively fresh, ventilated by small barred windows along the side of the house, also casting rays of sunlight throughout the basement. Boxes and shelve were cluttered about, more for effect opposed to purpose, but the wooden box with an SDC logo on it drew immediate attention. Risa had taken care to put it directly under one of the windows, hiding it from view since said window was too small to peer through if you were in any position aside from prone.

I approached the box, not even commenting when Risa elbowed the lid, knocking the lock open. Inside were what looked like normal Dust Crystals... but different. I frowned and picked up a crystal, peering into it. The crystal glowed faintly, a watery blob of light within its core, and that was what made the crystal slip from my hand, jaw going slack and eyes widening. Risa caught the crystal before it could impact, but she gave me a concerned frown, even as my mind realised what I just felt.

''Master?'' She frowned, nudging me lightly.

''This Dust...'' I muttered ''...has a soul in it''.

Risa recoiled slightly, mimicking my expression ''What?''.

The pieces clicked together instantly ''It makes sense. The SDC compound near Rockledge, I didn't recognise it, hell I barely noticed it. The air was tainted with a gas, thick with Dust and Grimm essence! Those creatures in there were people, living people who were forced to become a Grimm. However instead of becoming a Grimm-Human like Alexia or Seraphim or any of the others, they became horrible mutants with twisted forms! The SDC attempted to turn humans into beings beyond their understanding, and that's why the facility shut down! They broke loose and killed the staff... but that means...''.

''That means...?'' Risa carried on uncertainly.

''That means that the SDC knew about Grimm-Humans before we did'' I stated grimly, scowling ''Weiss obviously has no involvement in this, she isn't the type of person, nor does she have the heart to do so. I doubt her sister did since she is in the military, if I remember Weiss' words. Her mother is out of the question, she died years ago if the archive is correct... that leaves only two suspects; A part of the SDC, or Shiro Schnee himself... and I hope for Weiss' sake it isn't the latter''.

''This Dust is imbued with a living soul, trapped within the confines of the crystal! They aren't like the remnants of the souls I have absorbed, these are living, conscious souls, forever trapped within a crystal!'' I growled, glaring at the wall ''You were right about one thing; they're strong. Even I can tell that they are at least five times the strength of a top-of-the-line crystal. They'll claim its revolutionary, but this... this goes against nature. Dust and Living Souls aren't meant to go together like this, this breaks the laws that Oum set... this could end badly''.

Risa, who had recovered from her shock, lost all traces of her playful personality, in her place a stone-cold killer ready for her next target ''What shall we do, Master?''.

''Gather some of the others, we've got a mission, whether Ozpin will allow it or not. You, Shu, Kenshi, Mona, Gin and Nein will be joining me. Inform them to be ready when I call for them. Inform the others to step-up Homura's training, but not to an abysmal level - Juha will lead her training in place of Gin. I'll contact Life and Death to bring this to their attention immediately. Go''.

''Hai'' She nodded, sprinting up the stairs. I scowled and gathered several crystals of various types, holding them in my hand as I stormed up the stairs. Using SchattenSchritt I teleported outside just as Risa ran past, gathering her Aura and pressing it to her feet, creating a small ping of crimson Aura at her feet before she was sent airborne in an arc towards Shu's place.

I gently placed the crystals on the ground before standing up, pressing my palms together and curling my nimble fingers around, the flexible gauntlets of the remade Fragment allowing me to tap into both Life's mark and Death's mark at the same time.

''Life, Death, I believe I may have come across an issue worthy of note'' I addressed the two of them through their powers. I felt a flicker of Aura from each sign, showing they had heard it, and less than a minute later both deities spawned in the air in front of me in a flash of black and white-gold, respectively.

 _''Yes, we've been alerted to it not long ago''_ Life nodded, a frown on her face as she bent down, picking up a crystal _''Poor things...''._

 ** _''The SDC has committed universal treason, they will have to pay for this''_** Death said darkly, and I nodded. I was more than willing to condemn whoever was responsible for putting a conscious being into a crystal. The best way to picture it was this; being locked in a pitch-black room with no concept of time, never being able to die and left to eternal loneliness with no escape. It would be hell - the ultimate solitude.

''Is there anyway to save them?'' I asked, scowling when they shook their heads ''Why?''.

 _''Dust and Souls aren't meant to mix. You know about the origin or Dust?''_ Life asked and I nodded.

''Yeah. Dust was born from a large amount of positive energy, the more of it the stronger the Dust is. Grimm are the opposite of that, being artificially born by Hive Mothers after being exposed to a large amount of negativity''.

 _''Indeed. Dust and Souls are like oil and water; they're similar, but can't mix. Aura activates Dust because its like a mediator, it removes the property that prevents oil and water mixing, and allows them to do so to an extent. However directly mixing the two past the natural limits that Aura provides will give the result you see now. Its incredibly rare for this kind of situation to arise, as in the past direct manipulation of the soul was a very rare thing, and even rarer to see someone use it in this manner. The reason this kind of Dust is stronger than regular Dust is because when it detonates, it detonates with the power of a soul. Basically, its a mix of a Dust explosion...''._

''...and Soul Suicide'' My eyes widened, before my eyes narrowed sharply ''They're doing the same thing they did in the war''.

 ** _''Indeed''_** Death scowled also, or at least gave the impression he was **_''The reason they can't be separated is because they have been forced to mix, they can't be un-mixed without destroying the soul within. That is why this is such a heinous crime''._**

I forced myself to take a calming breath, picking up the soul crystals, all three of them ''I'll have to alert Ozpin and cancel tomorrow's test, this can't be left alone''.

 ** _''A wise decision''_** Death nodded **_''Move with haste, child''._**

I nodded, the air shattering beside me as I turned and left, storming through. My vision left and my body became weightless, but the three crystals didn't fall from my grip. I regained my sense of position as I appeared inside my dorm, scaring my team who were packing.

''Don't bother'' I said, scowl still in place ''Test is cancelled. Important shit has come up''.

''E-Eh?'' Ruby blinked ''What...?''.

''I'll explain later'' I dismissed, storming out the door as I activated SchattenSchritt, my body dissipating only to reform in Ozpin's office. The man in question jumped in his seat, surprised, but it also may be the fact I had an aura of hostility around me. Forcing myself to take a breath and smother my Aura, I turned a burning gaze on Ozpin.

''We've got a problem, a _major_ one'' I growled, placing one crystal on his desk. As if sensing the urgency in my tone, he picked up the crystal, examining it with a critical eye, before his eyes widened ''Yeah, that was my reaction''.

''Who made these crystals?'' Ozpin frowned.

''The Schnee Dust Company. Roman, Risa and Neo stole them from the SDC Headquarters in Violet City, Mistral. Only so-many-miles west of the abandoned SDC compound near where Rockledge once was'' I said as I frowned deeply, showing the seriousness of the issue ''This is big, Ozpin, if they mass-produce these then it could be disastrous when Cinder or Salem gets their hands on them. We need to end this as soon as possible''.

''I agree wholeheartedly'' He nodded, frowning deeply ''If your current attitude is any indication, you would prefer your friends to not get involved?''.

''No'' I shook my head furiously ''This mission requires stealth and close-range abilities. Out of all my friends, only Ren, Blake, Adam and Emerald have the capacity to do so while also possibly taking a life, and even then it might be difficult''.

''I see'' He nodded, standing up and pacing ''Qrow is out of the question, his weapons aren't suited to hallways like that of a facility. Raven is also out of the question. I myself will come, as I am more than competent in close-quarters and stealth''.

''Very well'' I nodded, rubbing my chin ''Risa, Shu, Kenshi, Mona, Gin and Nein will be accompanying us. I'll have to cancel tomorrow's test, leave that until later''.

''I shall make the appropriate calls on the situation, we'll leave tomorrow'' Ozpin muttered, sitting once more and scrolling through his contacts.

''We can take _my_ Bullhead'' I noted idly ''Until then''.

''Mm'' Ozpin hummed, the computer ringing as he called someone. I disappeared with a burst of SchattenSchritt, reappearing outside my dorm and sighing. I pocketed the three crystals onto my belt and then entered my dorm room, as they appeared to not lock it this time.

''What was that about?'' Yang asked as I walked over to my bed, sitting down with a tired sigh. I was too young for this shit.

''Stuff... just stuff'' I murmured, running a hand over my face, only for when it fell to see the concerned eyes of my teammates.

''Are you okay, Eien?'' Blake frowned slightly.

I just replied with _another_ sigh ''That's up for debate really. I'll be gone for a bit on a mission, two days at most, over to Mistral with Ozpin and some of my Spirits''.

''A mission? Why so sudden?'' Yang raised an eyebrow as Ruby sat next to me, silently offering her support.

'' _This_ is why'' I grumbled, pulling out one of the crystals.

''Dust? Why would you go to Mistral for Dust?'' Weiss asked.

I shook my head ''This isn't just any Dust, its potentially the start of the SDC's downfall if it continues''.

''What?'' Weiss murmured, looking shocked, all of them were.

''This is a Dust Crystal forcibly merged with the Soul of a living, conscious human being. Risa found these in the Headquarters at Violet City, so either its a small part of the SDC, or this is a private matter away from the public eye'' I said, giving Weiss a sombre look ''Life and Death aren't particularly happy, as this apparently breaks a universal law''.

''Universal law?'' Ruby cocked her head in confusion.

''Like oil and water, they aren't meant to mix, but if someone can find a way to force them to do so, then it breaks a law of the universe. I don't understand it fully, but its just one of those things. The souls trapped in the crystals are still 'conscious' for lack of better word; they're eternally awake in a prison they cant escape until death. The reason these are stronger than a normal Dust Crystal is because when it detonates it explodes with the power of high-quality Dust and Soul Suicide. These Crystals are made through immoral, illegal and dangerous means. Either the public finds out about these sooner or later and the SDC is in trouble, or the SDC continues to make these until criminals get their hands on them''.

''So what does this have to do with the mission?'' Yang asked as Weiss was still in shock, pale skin even paler and mouth gaping.

''Remember that place with the mutants back before I died? I didn't recognise it at the time, but there was a heavy amount of Dust and Grimm essence in the air, leading me to believe some equally immoral experiments went on there. The creature with the extendable claws was a pseudo-Grimm-Human, one that was a Human mixed with Grimm instead of the other way around''.

''So you're saying that someone in the SDC has been trying to make Grimm-Human's?'' Blake frowned and I nodded.

''Yes, and I'll have to ask that you don't mentioned this to _anyone_. And Weiss, _don't_ try and question anyone in the SDC or bring it up at all, if you do it will alert them that we're on their trail and give them time to cover it up, or worse''.

''So I'm supposed to let whoever did... _this_ to keep walking free?'' She growled, teeth grinding together. Shows how far she came since we first met.

''I'm afraid so. We don't know who is behind it, but if its someone up high in the chain of command...'' I stopped awkwardly, giving Weiss a meaningful look, to which she responded by an open-mouthed one showing her horror.

''M-My father... wouldn't...'' She murmured, her look replaced by bitter acceptance ''I-Its possible... he did offer me some 'Unique and Rare' Dust crystals before I left for Beacon... so he's obviously been in contact with whoever did this''.

''Is it possible he doesn't know?'' I questioned. Shiro Schnee was a private person after all, so having the opportunity to get Weiss to open up will help greatly.

''No, he could tell instantly, he's that experienced with Dust'' She said with begrudging respect ''He _knew_ this and offered me some. I denied of course, since I was already packed and didn't want to take my fathers gifts, I left Atlas for a reason''.

I hummed, rubbing my chin. It was possible it was just some uncaring scientists within the SDC doing it, but if Shiro Schnee did intentionally fund the program, or Oum forbid approved of it, then the fallout would be bad. The public would be calling for his blood and ruin the tensions between the White Fang and SDC even more, likely to the point of having more if not total support for the White Fang. More revolutionary groups would pop up against the SDC too. Weiss and her sister would be in danger because they share the same surname, even though they had no involvement in it - people would claim being idle is just as bad as committing the crime. Either the SDC falls apart, or Weiss is forced to give up her dream of becoming a Huntress in order to take control of the SDC.

I clicked my tongue ''I'm going to have to make some calls...''.

* * *

The next day saw me and Ozpin preparing to leave for the Bullhead. Students had been relieved, but confused on why I ended the test with the only excuse being 'something majorly important has come up, so the test is cancelled'. I had gotten in contact with Weiss' sister, Winter, through Ozpin and discussed our plan with her and she agreed to go along with it.

''Promise me you won't die this time'' Ruby whined, hugging me.

''I promise'' I chuckled, ruffling her longer hair ''Remember to train the team while I'm gone, alright?''.

''Mm'' She hummed, breaking off from the hug with a small, loving smile ''Love you''.

''Love you too Ruby'' I chuckled again, nodding to her as I turned and walked into the crimson Bullhead, Ozpin already seated as he tapped away on his scroll. I looked over my shoulder and gave one last smile to Ruby before the loading bay door closed, shutting me and Ozpin within the Bullhead. I silently went to the cockpit and got strapped in, turning the engines on with a mental nudge and pulling back on the stick, ascending to the sky.

* * *

From several miles away, a pair of bright amber orbs stared through a pair of binoculars at the crimson Bullhead flying out of Vale. A cruel smirk twisted at her lips at her new plan. Salem had stopped her from acting until now, and while she didn't know why, she knew it revolved around that boy. His display of power that had been recorded and posted on the DustNet by students at Beacon showed it. She shivered slightly at the memory of the last time the two got into a fight, it had left her mind so frazzled and numb it felt like she had been electrocuted.

Not only that, but he somehow convinced Emerald and Mercury to join him. She didn't care for them, not anymore. If they left her, then why should she care? Yes, she does not care, definitely. She had to admit however, she was surprised that he had converted Adam, even to the point where he stayed after Eien's death. Era and Reality were new factors that hadn't been account for prior.

Still, her smirked remained as she dialled up her associates number ''Roman''.

 _''Yeah?''._

''Prepare the Breach''.

* * *

The flight to Mistral was relatively uneventful, with little to nothing happened on the way there. I slowed the Bullhead as we neared the facility. turning it to the side and opening the side door. I unstrapped myself as I mentally ordered it to lower towards the ground, walking out towards the side door as Ozpin did the same. When we were ten feet above the ground Ozpin jumped out and I followed, giving the mental order for it to return to my little cave at Beacon.

I raised a palm in front of me, summoning the transdimensional Sigils. Risa, Shu, Kenshi, Mona, Gin and Nein rose from the platforms. Risa had her daggers within her sleeves, Kenshi had his Trench Knife out already, Mona had her twin swords out and ready for a surprise attack, Gin slowly drew his own katana and Nein held an ivory-white version of my own katana. Shu himself drew out a short Wakizashi from his belt.

Shu, being one of my most secretive Spirits, didn't often see me. He didn't not like me as far as I knew, but he was one who preferred solitude and privacy above all else. He had messy, slightly spiky raven hair and dark grey eyes. He had dark raven, form-fitting shirt and pants that didn't move about so much when he moved, having a sash of fabric around his waist to silence the noise his clothing would make without inhibiting his combat effectiveness. He also had a black bandana he wore over the lower half of his face like I used to, hiding even more of his face. He was even more of an assassin than Risa was, being one of the few Spirits capable of out-smarting her and beating her Semblance.

''How should we go about this?'' Kenshi asked, eyes trained on the facility. The tree that I had created before was no longer there, having been cut down it seems. That's concerning.

''If I remember correctly there was several hallways, some of the mutants crawling around. I think it would be best to kill them, no point in letting them suffer any longer than they need to'' I said, shaking my head with faint sadness ''We clear each floor of the building, room by room. We're searching the place for information, so any documents of _any_ kind are to be noted. We can communicate through mental conversation, Ozpin will just have to be quiet when speaking''.

Ozpin smirked faintly ''I can assure you I can speak in a quiet tone''.

''Alright, lets do this then'' I nodded, giving Nein a meaningful look ''Quietly''.

''Party-pooper'' He pouted, but nodded.

We approached the overgrown facility, me leading as I gently vaulted over the destroyed doorway, footsteps silent as I landed in the entrance room. I snuck over and pressed my back to the wall before tapping into Risa's Semblance, my whole form turning invisible in a heartbeat. I poked my head around the corner, finding it empty. A glance behind me showed Risa doing the same as I was, but for the opposite hallway across from me.

 _''Nothing''_ Risa's voice pinged in my head.

 _''Alright. Mona, Risa, Shu and Ozpin will take that hall. Nein, Gin, Kenshi and me will take this hall. If you find any kind of documents or items of note then pick them up and deposit them in the basement of my mansion''_ I ordered through the mental communications, Shu quietly informing Ozpin and the tall man nodding, following the shorter assassin down the other hall. The three other males of the team nodded at me, Nein grinning a little as I scoped out ahead before turning down the corridor. Like before it was nearly pitch-black, but I didn't even consciously need to tap into Aria's Aura to be able to gain heightened senses and partial night vision.

A small hall came up on my left and I peered around the edge, the wooden door nothing more than a few chunks clinging onto the wall, still as stone. I crept down the hall, and climbed over the rotten remains of the wood, finding myself in the office. Desks were destroyed and blood stains that were several years old were stained on the walls and floors. Torn shreds of paper also littered the place, but there was loot to be had, as they say.

I moved over to the intact desks, pulling them open and striking gold immediately, finding stacks of paper. Mentally picturing my basement I summoned a grey Sigil, pressing the stacks of worn papers into it. It was absorbed into the gel-like barrier, disappearing from the world and depositing itself within my own souk. I looted the rest of the room, finding more documents on things I didn't look at along with a few ID cards that were seemingly lying around. I snuck back out of the small office into the hall, where Nein was also exiting the adjacent office with Kenshi behind him, Gin waiting in the hallway on lookout.

 _''Found some documents''_ Nein mentally murmured. It showed the seriousness of the situation when my top fighter and mostly-insane fighter was acting serious.

 _''Same here''_ I replied _''We can review them later, lets move on''._

Before I could continue sneaking down the hall, Gin's arm came in front of me and stopped me. I gave him a curious look, to which he responded by pointing down the hall. Mentally face-palming at my lack of foresight - we were _in the middle of the hallway_ \- I turned and saw a presumed mutant a dozen or two feet away. They had thin, pale scraggly human legs with only a pair of torn and stained white shorts. The torso and arms were covered in black fur, covering even the head and leaving only a pair of crimson eyes to look at me. I was still using Risa's Semblance, keeping me invisible, yet it was looking directly at me, meaning it possibly had some advanced sensory technique.

I drew my blade slowly and stood up before deactivating my invisibility. Keeping my eyes locked onto the creature, I walked towards it calmly, as if I was going on a casual stroll. I made no hostile movements or intentions, and the creature continued to stare at me. As I got within ten feet I used a SchattenSchritt and reformed a foot or two in the air, swinging my blade and severing its head without hesitation. The furry head hit the ground with a wet thunk, but it was for the best - best to die than to suffer eternally.

 _''I'll stay on watch, you guys clear the offices''_ I informed mentally, making the Spirits nod as they hastily but silently snuck into the other rooms. I reactivated Risa's Semblance and I turned invisible, standing combat-ready in the hall ready. I had to wait several minutes before they returned from the multiple hallways, all of them in a crouch.

 _''I found some more Soul-Dust''_ Kenshi informed _''I also found some documents likely retaining to it, along with a machine that I managed to pack in''._

I nodded _''Good work. Shu, progress report?''._

 _''We've found a multitude of documents and several Soul-Dust crystals, along with several weapons that must belong to the former staff''_ His slightly-gruff voice said mentally _''We've reached a dead end however, no other exits or hallways''._

 _''Come back to our side then, elevator shaft is here''_ I ordered, staring at the end of the hall where an elevator shaft was, the metal doors slightly ajar. I kept myself alert as I waited for Ozpin and my Spirits to quietly make their way down the hall over to us, the ground floor clear. Once we were all here I nodded to Kenshi and Gin, who followed my subtle command and moved to each side of the elevator. They grabbed a door each and pulled them apart, the metal groaning as unventilated air came out of the elevator, making Risa hiss disdainfully and cover her nose.

I smiled wryly ''Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more''.

''You've been waiting to say that for years, haven't you?'' Risa commented lamely. Little memory stealer. I pouted at her, making her smirk before she adopted a serious expression, and my own was replaced with seriousness once more. I nodded to my companions before jumping down the shaft, creating a Sigil beneath me to float me down on.

When I reached the second first sub-floor the elevator doors were already pried open, a hallway directly ahead. Unlike the floor above however there were glass walls that looked like they were containment facilities, with many windows shattered and more than a few Human-Grimm walking about, but they had yet to notice me. The others jumped down silently onto my Sigil, and with a single nod we moved. I used SchattenSchritt to get behind the closest one with a Beowulf-like body with antlers and human arms but with long claws. I severed the head and moved to the next, slashing and bisecting it at the waist before severing the head just before it hit the ground.

By the time I did that, Ozpin had already killed his third, using his Semblance (I presume it was) to traverse the room as quickly as Oobleck on a coffee high. Risa killed her first by piercing its neck with her dagger, forming and throwing a ball of green acid at another and muffling its screams with said acid. Mona, Shu and Kenshi all killed one each by the time we were done while Nein killed the ones furthest back, bisecting them. Gin had been the only one not to attack, mainly being he lacked the speed to cross the distance to any of the mutants before the others.

In a total of five seconds, we had cleared a fifty foot square room of at least thirteen or so mutants, a testament to our strength I supposed. No orders were needed before we all began moving, searching. I hopped over a broken window and into a small mini-lab, already securing the documents, torn and untouched, and depositing them. The air was thick with unventilated air, but it was still breathable. A thud drew my attention, showing Gin had cut the head off a spider-like mutant, the body dead near the elevator.

 _''Have we cleared this floor?''_ I asked mentally as I approached the elevator, getting affirmatives from all, Ozpin nodded as if reading my mind. Wouldn't put it past the man.

 _''Then lets go''_ I said, descending to the next floor.

* * *

 _''How many floors does this place have?''_ I mentally drawled in annoyance as we cleared what I think was the twenty-ninth floor ''Can you sense anything, Ozpin?''.

The man, collected as ever, nodded ''There is a large space beneath this floor, so it is likely we are close to the bottom''.

''Thank god'' I grimaced, stretching ''Its getting harder and harder to breathe, not to mention sneaking and assassinating all the mutants''.

''And all those documents you'll have to look through'' Risa murmured, the lower half of her face hidden underneath her collar to assist her breathing ''This place is creepy, and that's coming from me''.

''Yeah'' I nodded as I approached the elevator shaft, where the elevator itself was ''Looks like we've reached the bottom''.

Without further fanfare I hopped down the few feet onto the roof of the elevator, only to frown when there was no discernible exit. Closing my eyes and sending a ping of Aura out, I was mildly surprised when there was no doors or hallway connecting to the elevator, meaning it was stuck in the middle of the shaft... and the people within potentially died from starvation. Not a nice thought.

The others jumped down and the elevator groaned a little, but still refused to budge. I gave a mildly unsure look at Ozpin, as if asking 'What now?', to which he responded by place a hand on the roof of the dusty elevator. His Aura glowed faintly before the elevator groaned again before slowly descending down, occasionally letting out a brief screech or clunk as it hit the walls or railings. Finally, a loud metallic 'puff' was made as we reached the bottom of the shaft. Gin stabbed his blade into the ceiling hatch and with a deft flick of the wrist pried the door hatch open, exposing us to the horrific smell of rotten corpses, along with the sight of three rotten corpses, still rotting.

''Disgusting'' Risa murmured with a quiet gag. I shook my head disdainfully at the corpses before jumping down into the elevator, walking out into the area, only to be stunned by the sight before me.

The whole room was in a cylinder fashion, with tall metal-grey walls with occasional hazard warning lines dotted about. The platform I was on was guarded by a wall of glass, metal above me as well. To my right led to a room which I presumed was a control room, and to my left was a control panel with various dials and such. However on the other side of the glass was what stunned me; eggs. On a centre platform there was maybe ten or so eggs, probably five metres wide and fifteen metres tall. Around the platform was a faintly glowing murky water with smaller eggs, but there was far more. All of the eggs were onyx black with faint red cracks in them. Another glance around the room showed something else, possibly worse.

It was not a simple cylinder, there were small platforms or ledges. Under them were creatures that were a mix of humans and bats. The closet one being directly across the cylinder room from where I stood. It was about six feet tall, its skin obsidian black with Grimm-black fur on its forearms and hands, legs and feet. Its fingers and toes were tempered into fine claws, and a long whip-like tail seemed to be present, wrapped around its waist so it wasn't dangling. Bat-like wings were also curled around it partially. Its hair was, not surprisingly, black, and it also seemed to lack eyes. All in all, it looked like a human mixed with a bat.

''What the hell...'' I muttered quietly, careful not to awaken them with noise. Risa opened the door to the control room, and with my nod she began searching for anything that could be helpful in our little investigation.

Ozpin's hand rested on my shoulder, his other holding out a small camera ''Attach it to the side of your eye. We'll record these events to show the public the threat the Grimm pose, and to shake them out of their stagnant state. Try not to mention anything related to the SDC''.

I shrugged, trusting Ozpin's call as I attached it to the side of my head - after pulling my hood down, the camera digging into my skin slightly where the bone around my eye was. Forgot its name, outer canthus or something? Doesn't matter. It made a low beep as it presumably started recording, and I continued to watch the creatures, keeping my footsteps quiet.

Risa came out a minute later ''I've gotten all the information I could... the machinery is broken, along with the window. It looks like they killed the staff down here but where unable to climb up the elevator shaft''.

''Did you find anything on what those eggs are?'' I asked, doubtful.

''I didn't read them, I just packed 'em in to read later'' She shrugged and I nodded ''What now?''.

''Ozpin?'' I asked, wanting to hear his suggestion.

The man in question shrugged lightly ''We cannot leave these beings here, lest someone free them later, but we cannot kill them all without any of them noticing''.

''There's a hole in the ceiling'' Kenshi noted and I looked up, grimly confirming it as I saw a hole in the ceiling leading to one of the upper floors. How we missed it is a mystery.

''Looks like we'll have to kill them regardless, think we could lead them outside?''.

''If their ability to fly is to be believed, then it would be unwise to do so'' Ozpin frowned in thought ''Regardless of which path we take, we will be at a disadvantage in both numbers and environment''.

''But we've got more firepower'' I smirked ''Jaeger might be able to flatten the place, collapse it in on itself''.

''Possibly'' Ozpin conceded as he looked at the control panel ''But we may be able to take this a more subtle way''.

''How so?''.

''These dials, one of them releases a highly flammable gas, and if you were to use some of that Dust you have recently acquired then we should be able to escape before it blows''.

I grimaced at the thought of sacrificing the souls within the crystals, but conceded quickly with a nod. Death is better than eternal suffering. Ozpin went to the control panel and turned one of the dials, the metal groaning at being used for the first time in ages. I cursed when I saw several of them move, something which did not go unnoticed by Ozpin as he expertly and unhesitatingly flicked multiple dials and turned others as if he knew what each unnamed one did. Gas began pouring in through several vents in the floor and walls, and the mere action nearly woke up all of them, and not only that but the eggs began to move.

''Do it, now!'' Ozpin urged and I nodded, pulling out the crystal.

''I'm sorry'' I whispered to the crystal as I clenched and cracked it, pushing some Aura into the crystal before I chucked it through a hole in the metal. My Spirits disappeared into Sigils on instinct, and I felt Ozpin's hand on my shoulder before my vision turned black. It returned a few moments later and I found myself outside the building, around fifty feet away and on top of a tree with Ozpin at my side.

Less than a moment later the whole facility exploded with a furious roar, a rainbow of flames shooting sky-high. I whistled lowly in awe at it, watching for almost a solid minute as the flames slowly died out, Grimm in the surrounding area running away in apparent fear. Irony. I sighed, straightening up as Ozpin jumped off the tree and onto the ground, me following a minute later. The trees around the facility had been burned away. Hell it was now just a massive pit stained ash-black, the area around it burnt with the heat alone.

''I'm surprised these are so strong'' I murmured, looking at the crystals on my belt before shaking my head, turning towards Ozpin ''Now wha-''.

My question was interrupted by a feral screech, and my sentence was immediately replaced by an annoyed comment ''Oh you've got to be kidding me...''.

From the cylinder crater, a swarm of those bat creatures flying out and being airborne, skin-like wings beating as at least thirty of them stared at us. I was correct in thinking they didn't have eyes, but they had large mouths with fangs. I extended a hand in front of me and Jaeger, Gin, Kotori, Juha, Mona, Chrystal and Natasha rose from the Sigils, seriousness etched onto their faces. I drew my own katana and Ozpin wielded his cane-sword, raising it challengingly.

''Elimination'' I ordered before disappearing into a burst of SchattenSchritt, appearing above the swarm. I brought my blade down and cleaved through the wing of one of them, severing the head of another on my descent and cutting the arm off another before I was forced to dodge as their attention was on me. The attention didn't last long as a single shot from one of Jaeger's pistols blew up at least six of them, Gin jumping up next to me with a burst of Aura and bisecting one of the creatures.

I spun to avoid the claws of two of them, spinning with my blade out and cutting several before I lunged with the assistance of my Aura, piercing the head of one before I slashed, severing anothers neck. I dropped to the ground just as Jaeger fired another shot, the voltage of his weapons upped to the point it likely wiped them out. The dust cleared and my suspicions were confirmed, but the screeches from the crater warned me it wasn't over. I jumped back and help my hand in front of me, forcing my Aura to congeal and form together into a ball, adding in some of my blood via cutting my finger.

Another wave of the bat creatures emerged, almost double the size when I unleashed the ball. It glowed like a crystal as it flew, and upon making the slightest contact with the bat it exploded into a sphere of purple energy. Still the bats came and I cut them down with my Spirits at my side, Gin flawlessly spinning and back-to-back with Mona, both dancing and cutting down their opponents. Kotori rained fire and ice, firing bolts of lightning and tearing through their ranks. Jaeger mainly just hung back, occasionally firing a shot of his cannons whenever there was a large clump. Juha was a force on his own, slashing his way through the enemy with a large cleaver-like sword while Chrystal delivered punches and kicked with enough force behind them to stun the bats before Juha finished them off. Natasha also hung back, picking off targets with her sniper.

I pierced the neck of another one, tearing my blade out and cutting its torso in half, paying it no mind as it fell to the floor dying. These weren't full Grimm, they lacked the white masks. I hated to think it, but it was possible these were humans turned into part-Grimm, or maybe even something darker, eviller. I shook my head to dismiss that thought as I slashed through another of their dwindling numbers, which were quickly eliminated.

''Well, that's not something you see everyday'' I grunted as I awaited any more opponents, raring to go.

''I guess they're name should be... _Batman_ '' Chrystal grinned widely and I groaned, face-palming along with several others.

''That was horrible''.

''I'll do better next time then'' She winked playfully and I rolled my eyes as she shouted ''Anything else want to kill us?!''.

For a moment she got no response, before a furious roar of a dragon reached our ears and we all glared at her, making her laugh nervously ''Eheh... sorry?''.

From within the cylinder several dragon-like beings flew out. They were more of the lithe kind of dragon, but the most defining feature of them was that atop their heads was a single, huge eye in place of the rest of its head. Its jaw was a little lower to make up for the massive eye, but it was quite the intimidating sight. They were smaller than the dragon I originally killed, but they were still quite large with their hands attached to their wings. They menacing crimson pupils of the six dragons glared at us, as if accusing us of this mess as they roared in fury.

''Huh... haven't seen that type of Grimm before'' I murmured as I brandished my weapon once more, holding it in the ready stance.

''That's because it didn't exist before now'' Ozpin informed grimly '' _They_ might have created them, much like with the Batmen''.

''Great. Dandy. Fantastic'' I said sarcastically as I pointed my blade at the dragons ''Jaeger, Nat, Kotori. Hailstorm''.

''Hai'' Kotori said while the other two nodded. The dragons screeched and one dove towards Mona in an attempt to eat her, only for the monochrome girl to jump over its head with a burst of Aura, slashing at the air and sending duel waves of energy at the large eye, making the dragon screech as its eye was struck. She landed on its back and started hacking away at its back, but was unsuccessful at dealing much damage to its scales. I raised my palm and seamlessly formed a Fire Sigil, firing several streams of fire that impacted on its scales and making it screech.

Several beams of blue energy impact on its head, exploding on contact and blowing it to bits, the headless body falling out of the smoke cloud and hitting the ground with a meaty thud, Mona hopping off its corpse. A stream of ice spikes came down on the swarm of dragons, making them all roar as they scattered, Ozpin, Juha and Gin taking off after one while Kotori and Nat went after another. I sighed, cracking my neck as a dragon set its eye on me.

''Hm... lets see if my Semblance still effects Grimm like I think it will'' I smirked as I pushed some Aura into my feet, sending me airborne and over the dragon, causing it to bend its neck back to stare at me. It coughed and jerked its head forward as green acid sprayed at me and I narrowed my eyes, using another pulse of Aura to dodge it as I came down onto its back. I pressed my hand onto its back, tapping into my own Semblance as I let several shards of my soul flow into its being before hopping off it. I turned around and clenched my fist, smirking as it howled and disintegrated in seconds. Grimm were matter after all, though the larger they were the more shards of my soul it took.

''Good, they aren't big enough to outmatch my Semblance'' I hummed to myself as I turned my sights on the other dragons, but they were being handled just fine ''Hm... they can handle it, should count as training''.

I sprung on my heel, sword lashing out and killing another bat-like creature before it could attack me. I scowled as more of them began rising from the tunnel like moths to a flame. Once again calling upon my Spirits, I summoned Kindle, Aria, Homura, Eleanor and Doran. No words were needed as they summoned their weapons, engaging the batmen immediately.

''Homura! Stay close to Aria and Kindle, alright?'' I called out to them, the lithe girl nodding at me as she fired a volley of purple energy bolts from her guns. Homura was still a newbie, for lack of better word, shown by how she took a couple seconds to aim and fire her handguns, and how she occasionally stumbled from the recoil. I can implant instructions and tutorials on how to use a gun, but that doesn't mean she's skilled from the start. Theory and practice are different things.

''Hm... they certainly have improved'' I hummed as a dragon fell a few feet from me, Gin hopping off it cheerfully.

''I tell you every day Eien, we never slack'' He admonished playfully and I chuckled lowly.

''Perhaps most of you do not slack, but I can foresee Jaeger doing so often, possibly Aria and Nat too''.

''Eh... can't fault ya there'' Gin chuckled, his arm jerking up and slashing the head off another Batman as it attempted to slash his back up. I took a few steps back and a Batman swooped past my position, with me slashing one of its wings off and causing it to accidentally fly into Kotori's fire pillar, dying instantly.

''For a bunch of Grimm hidden beneath an old facility, they're pretty... meh'' Kotori called as she floated down to me on her broom, two dragon corpses disintegrating behind her ''I mean the dragons were pretty average too, maybe a B-Rank or C-Rank? What would we even call them?''.

''Ocular Draconis?'' I shrugged lightly ''I'd say they're about a B-Rank, since they fly and shoot acid. The Batmen are probably a C-Rank, given they're basically flying Beowolves, but with more speed and less strength''.

''That's the last of them'' Juha informed as he landed a few feet away, the final Ocular Draconis falling to the ground, its head not connected to its body ''I do not understand how they survived the blast, yet are so easy to kill''.

''Perhaps they have a resistance to Dust?'' Ozpin guessed, the rest of my Spirits all joining the conversation.

''Possibly, they did live in a toxic environment'' I mused ''Ah well, all's well that ends well-''.

Of course it wouldn't, as from the crater of the facility a truly _titanic_ sized clawed hand came out, probably the size of multiple Bullheads lined up. Whatever it belonged to used the hand to pull itself out, almost pulling the ground with it as the head became visible, then the torso, then the legs. It was, for lack of better word, a giant Batman. The main thing that was noticeable, was that it was probably the same height, if not taller than Beacon Academy, casting a large shadow across the forest and blocking out the sun. Its eyeless face stared down at us, before its jaw unhinged and it released a ear-shattering screech that nearly shook the very air, though Aria was probably the worst effected by it, whimpering and clutching her ears.

''Well... that's not normal'' I drawled, looking up at the Grimm ''Say Ozpin...''.

''Yes?''.

''What would you rank this Grimm as, given that it likely spits acid and flies?''.

He hummed for a moment, before speaking ''Given that it is likely a Hive Mother, I'd say an SSS-Rank Grimm''.

I smirked ''Well then, looks like we'll be adding it to the kill list, eh everyone?''.

''Hai'' They all grinned, smirked or nodded as they brandished their weapons. Homura, being the newbie, looked a little shaken by the titanic Grimm, but some encouraging words from Aria and Juha instilled some confidence in her once more.

''What's the plan for this big guy, hm?'' Gin grinned, opening his eyes for the first time to reveal teal-blue eyes filled with morbid mirth.

''Hm...'' I hummed, drawing it out for emphasis ''I think maybe we should give this guy the benefit of the doubt and say he's ridiculously strong, since Ozpin thinks he's SSS-Rank. Everyone, release''.

''Hai'' They all said before in unison calling ''Seele Mitteilung''.

Their Aura burst to life around them, flaring to life as their souls went into overdrive. Risa's snake features became more apparent as her purple hoodie disintegrated to ash, revealing her red shirt to now be sleeveless because of the transformation. Snake-like tattoos formed on her arms and up her cheeks, her crimson eyes glowing as she let out a pleased hiss. A pair of simplistic green scale energy wings formed behind her. Eleanor's normally blank face grew into a smile, then a grin, then what one would consider a psychotic grin of a murderous degree. Her whole body glowed a baleful ruby and her Aura solidified into streams of energy around her, a pair of wings made from crimson knives floating behind her.

Aria's fox features became more apparent, her ears perking up and her fingers growing claws, a fox tail sprouting behind her, swishing idly. Her eyes glowed brightly before they both turned blue, her heterochromia dissipating for now. Behind her a pair of wings made from the same energy her weapons were made from formed, being long and almost flame-like. Shu gained a pair of shorter, but intricate pair of wings with a muddle of words all over them, making you almost nauseous looking at the words. His form glowed with his Aura, but showed no other signs of change.

Kenshi glowed grey with his Aura, his muscles bulging slightly in response and a pair of wings forming behind him, being almost metallic looking. Doran glowed crimson with his Aura, giving the samurai an almost frightening look as his eyes turned equally crimson, peering out from his mask. His wings were oriental in a sense, with intricate designs on them benefitting of a man such as him. Mona, unlike the others, was unique in that she had two release forms, one black and the other white. However white was more damaging, so she would be using that it seems as her dress, hair, katana's, elbow-length gloves, and irises all became ivory white while her sclera became black, giving her a menacing appearance as she brandished her blades.

Jaeger's form glowed as a wolf with grey fur and a blue glow to it formed in front of him, the form his release form assisted him with. A pair of old, leather-like wings formed behind him as he lazily patted the wolfs head. Gin sprouted a pair of curled wings with the bone of it being a snake, the feathers being scale-like. Kotori generated a furious gust around her, her true power being demonstrated as her eyes glowed brightly, a pair of wings on her back forming, being in the design of intricate Sigils.

Kindle's flames turned midnight black, her eyes turning amber like prior and a pair of flame-like wings forming on her back. Juha gained a pair of elegant, wide wings with swords for feathers, his cloak fluttering from his own gust. Natasha gained a pair of wings with bullets for feathers, her free hand being taken up as a midnight-black katana formed in it, similar to my own. Chrystal gained wings with circular ping feathers, her eyes alight with power otherwise unseen. Homura and I were the only ones not to activate, the former because she had yet to gain it, with myself holding back for now.

''An SSS-Rank Grimm, huh?'' I said in rich amusement ''Lets see how you handle against the army of one...''

''Everyone... bring 'em down''.

* * *

 **A/N: Its 5 in the bloody morning when I finished this, so I hope you're all happy - if my internet comes back soon.**

 **So, SSS-Rank Grimm hm? Its a huge, titanic beast never before seen, and lets see how it handles against over a dozen high ranking fighters. The fight in the next chapter will show how truly strong the characters are. Not on an individual level, but on a collective one. For use of reference, Seraphim was probably an S-Rank, with something like a Goliath a A/B-rank.**

 **The SDC is up to no good, experimenting with Dust and Souls and doing other immoral things. What will become of the SDC? Wait and see!**

 **Also as a small question, would you like to see another Beach Omake/Extra? A reader PM'ed me on the day I posted chapter 17 asking for me to post a second beach chapter but with the Spirits also involved, making it a big ol' happy scene with some more character interaction and not plot development. PM or put it in a review to tell me.**

 **Till next time (hopefully not as long update time)~**


	19. Chapter 19: How The Mighty Fall

**A/N: Long AN at the bottom. Most updates from now on will be anytime from the afternoon to late in the evening, possibly even early in the next day (1am-5am). This is because my sleep schedule is quite erratic and I usually wake up at 2 in the afternoon and fall asleep at 3-5 in the morning. Yikes.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 19: How The Mighty Fall**

The group almost immediately unleashed a hailstorm of firepower on the giant bat person, exploding on its torso and face and obscuring it in a cloud of dust. It unleashed another ear-shattering screech, one that held annoyance over pain, and I was mildly surprised when it was barely hurt, only a few burn marks here and there.

''Huh'' I mused ''I understand you presume it would be a SSS-Rank, but its pretty strong''.

''Of course it is'' Ozpin drawled ''SSS-Ranks are some of the strongest Grimm in existence, did you really believe only a dozen Hunter-Class fighters would be able to one-shot it?''.

''Well, yeah'' I shrugged ''It doesn't look all that menacing, I mean yeah its probably pretty strong versus buildings and the like, but its like a human trying to swat a fly; hard to do''.

Jaeger took aim and pulled the triggers on his guns, unleashing another volley of blue energy beams that did little more than annoy the creature. Kotori tried freezing it, but it broke out of it without a problem. Growling, the creature opened its maw as a flood of acid poured from its mouth, forcing all of us to scatter, with me using SchattenSchritt to teleport onto the trees.

''This should be interesting training for them'' I mused aloud ''Haven't given them a proper test for a while, so this should suffice''.

Kotori came in from the side, flying up on her broom and dropping bombs of fire as she flew, exploding on contact and making the beast roar in annoyance. Jaeger and Natasha hung back, taking careful aim and firing with precise, but ultimately useless shots. Most of the melee-oriented fighters were using their Aura Wings to fly high into the air, slashing at its legs and face, but also failing to do any damage.

Doran, who was on the ground, released a battle cry as his Semblance activated for the first time in a while. Behind him, a equally tall samurai formed out of pure Aura, but with black armour instead of crimson. It followed Doran's movements, its giant katana crashing into the bat and making it stumble as it released another screech. It recovered surprisingly quickly, grabbing the katana with one hand while the other clawed hand raked down the giant samurai's torso, this time making Doran/Giant stumble back, bleeding.

A volley of lightning bolts shot down from the heavens, striking its shoulders and collar and making the giant bat roar in pain. Small flashes of purple, blue and orange belonged to Homura, Aria and Kindle as they unleashed powerful shots at the giant, but to no avail either. Chrystal came flying down from above, her short Wakizashi digging into the bat's head before electricity sparked to life around her, engulfing her and shocking the Hive Mother, even if it barely hurt said giant. Roaring once more, it used the small frame of time it got from stunning them and lashed out, back-handing the airborne Aria and Kindle, sending them streaking down into the ground like meteors, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process.

''Ooh'' I winced ''That's gotta hurt''.

Still, the duo shakily got to their feet, determination on their faces as they used their intangible wings to become airborne once more. Juha, Gin and Ozpin were making their way around the giant, slashing and cutting the giant as they moved, the headmaster not being slowed down at all despite not owning a pair of Aura Wings.

Risa and Eleanor were by far the most out of their element, seeing as their strength lied in 1-on-1's. All of my Spirits were working in loose synergy to take down the giant, who was still occupied with trying to kill the Aura Giant that Doran created. It was an Anti-Army Semblance for a reason; one sweep of the giants sword was capable of wiping out an army, or good at fighting a large Grimm like this.

''Perhaps I should enhance the power of Doran's Semblance?'' I mused in thought ''Perhaps the ability to create multiple giants? Maybe having a rocket launcher? Hm...''.

Kotori, about to cast another spell, was taken off-guard when a Nevermore abruptly came out of the sky and dove at her, forcing her to redirect the spell at the bird Grimm, the giant fireball melting it instantly. However that act drew the attention of the Giant Batman, and because of it she took a hand to the body and was sent rocketing down to the ground like Aria and Kindle. Even from this distance, I could see Kotori glow brightly as her anger boiled over and she cried out something incomprehensible from this distance. Behind her, a giant ice-blue Sigil formed, and much like before at Beacon an ice dragon crawled out of it, only that this one was almost as big as the one I had fought at Rockledge.

The dragon emitted a loud roar as it jumped and latched onto the Batman's back, biting down on its shoulder and its claws digging into its sides. At the same time, Doran's giant swung its katana and created a long slash down its front. The combined damage made the bat roar furiously as it thrashed, unable to get a good strike on the dragon that was sticking to its back. The others took advantage of its distress, unleashing another volley of attacks with renewed vigour.

However it was not to last, as the bat finally managed to reach behind it and grab the dragon by the neck, before hauling it over its head and throwing it into the giant samurai, sending both to the ground before both dissipated, dead. Doran himself gasped as he fell onto his back, having felt the weight of the dragon crash into him. The Batman roared in triumph, before turning its gaze on Ozpin and my Spirits once more, who looked more uneasy than anything. They all conversed with one another, and because of the distance I was unable to hear what was said, but I could make out the flares in their Aura to decipher what their plan was.

''Ah, clever'' I smirked as Kotori and Jaeger hung back, both of their Aura flaring. The wolf by Jaeger howled as it grew in size, almost equal to the giant bat. Another two Sigils appeared by Kotori, one fire and the other ice. From both came a dragon of ice and fire, standing equal to the wolf as they glared at the bat, who glared back without needing eyes. With a roar both sides charged, the dragons splitting off to flank from the sides while the wolf sprinted right up to the bat and lunged. The Batman dug its claws into it, but the wolf still charged and bit its neck, making the bat screech in pain. However it was quick to change when the wolf howled in pain, acid leaking from the bats throat and onto the wolf's face, making it whine as it desperately tried to wipe the acid off.

Sadly, the bat took advantage of this and with a single slash, severed the head of the wolf. It reformed as a smaller one back with Jaeger, but the damage to his Aura prevented him from redoing that trick. The two dragons each came from the side, the ice one biting down on its shoulder and digging its claws into its stomach while the fire one breathed fire on its arm and neck. The Bat had only gotten wiser however, as it lashed out with its claws and quickly broke contact with the ice dragon, making it stumble back and roar in anger.

It turned its attention to the fire one, shooting acid out at it and forcing the dragon back. The Bat ignored my Spirits firing at it as it crushed the head of the fire dragon as its tail whipped around and shattered the head of the ice one. In short, the bat took down two dragons and a wolf in less than a minute.

''Perhaps I should intervene now...'' I mused thoughtfully ''...Nah, I'll give them a little longer''.

Humming, I watched as the Spirits slowly began to worry a little more, their Aura draining from the constant fighting. Chrystal and Kindle went flying past the tree I was standing on, unconscious from the looks of it as they went flying through several trees. Minutes passed and they still failed to one-up against the giant, and a frown slowly grew on my face. My Spirits were strong, incredibly so, but this being surely wasn't _that_ much of an issue... was it? I was confident in my own ability to kill it with palpable ease, but was it perhaps because my own power was on another level compared to even the greatest hunters of Remnant? Whatever it was, it was time to intervene.

The fact half of my Spirits were now out of commission was also a factor in that.

''Guess its time to intervene'' I smirked dangerously, the thought of actually giving it a proper go an ideal thought. I used SchattenSchritt to land near Ozpin and Juha, who were beginning to tire, though the former still had plenty of Aura.

''Here, wouldn't want to damage your precious camera, Ozpin'' I smirked as I handed it to the man ''Its time I showed you how powerful I really have become''.

* * *

With open confidence Eien walked up to the lumbering giant, which glared down at the small teen with its eyeless face, yet did not attack. If anyone looked close enough, they would see hesitation within the giant, unsure on what it should do.

''My, for an SSS-Rank, you don't seem like much up close. Well, I suppose I should give you a taste of my full power...'' Eien chuckled lowly, his hood down and revealing his heterochromic eyes ''Seele Mitteilung''.

Monochrome energy burst forth into existence, engulfing him and shrouding him from sight. It exploded like a grenade away from him, kicking up a gust as his soul went into overdrive, a pair of X-shaped monochrome wings on his back, his cloak bleeding away to become a monochrome one, with a silver outline on the black side and a gold outline on the white side. Half of his hair had become snow white, the eye with the purple iris now backed by a black sclera.

''Hm... odd'' Eien mused aloud, looking up at the giant ''When I examined you from a distance, you appear to be relatively strong, and I acknowledged that activating my Seele Mitteilung would be a wise decision. But now... I feel like I overestimated you''.

In response to the subtle insult, the creature screeched at Eien, bringing its hand down to crush the short teen. Eien merely sighed in an almost bored manner as he raised his hand, stopping the giant hand without even flinching. Eien reached inside his cloak, pulling out a silver Colt M1911 similar to that of Homura's, but with a different feeling to it.

''Truly, you are unimpressive'' Eien said disdainfully as a pulse of Aura pinged off his palm, knocking the giants hand back, causing the large being to stumble lightly ''I see no point in wasting time cutting you down, so I will erase you instead''.

Holding that same palm up, his Aura flared to life around him as the ground beneath him became ash. That ash spread out like a plague, consuming the dirt, bushes, trees, any life it could touch it was absorbed, transmuted into Eien's body and up his arm, forming a ball of rainbow light that glowed like the sun. Soon the ashy plague stopped, the sufficient amount of energy sucked up and converted into the pure energy. The ball contorted its shape, reforming and melding into a small rectangle which he calmly grasped in his hand.

''Pure energy, stolen from nature itself'' Eien said in a musing tone, raising the silver colt and placing the magazine-shaped energy into the gun, locking it and with deliberate slowness cocked the gun ''So tell me Mr. Batman, when you combine the raw power of nature, and the finest handgun Remnant has to offer, what do you get?''.

If he expected a response from the Batman, he was sorely disappointed as it swung its arm down in a second attempt to crush him.

''How futile'' Eien admonished as he raised his handgun and pulled the trigger, unleashing a massive beam of rainbow energy, destroying and erasing the arm and continuing on its course high into the sky before finally dissipating after he released the trigger. The beast, predicatably, howled in pain at the loss of its arm. Eien shook his head in disappointment before he took aim, firing and destroying its leg, bringing it to its stump of a knee.

''How the mighty fall'' He said before firing again, blowing its head and half of its torso to dust with a charged-up shot. He watched as the Grimm began disintegrating for a moment before turning back to Ozpin, smirking at his stunned look ''I believe that proves that even at half of my full strength, I can give you a serious run for your money''.

''You were holding back, weren't you?'' The headmaster realised a moment later.

Eien smirked wider ''Of course, you said it yourself - if you were to go all out, you'd have destroyed the school with your enormous power. I am no different in that regard, I too had to hold back lest I harm the spectators of the fight, about a quarter of my full strength''.

Kotori pouted ''You never taught me how to do _that_ ''.

''Because you aren't ready to handle the power'' He gave her a lopsided grin, holding his palm open as some of the energy still stored within him formed in his palm, a tennis ball of rainbow power ''Besides, this was the most appropriate thing I could think of to take down the Grimm, as anything stronger might have destroyed part of the continent''.

''You're kidding, right?'' Kindle laughed lightly, but upon seeing his amused expression, she paled a little ''...You're serious, aren't you?''.

''Of course'' He smiled cheerfully, flicking the safety on and holstering the handgun on his belt as his wings dissipated ''One can never be too prepared''.

''Who prepares for that kind of monster?'' Aria raised an eyebrow.

''Me'' Eien just smiled, ruffling her hair and making a light blush come to her cheeks, Ozpin turning off the small camera ''The Bullhead should be here soon, so we shouldn't need to wait long, five minutes at most''.

Five minutes too late.

* * *

In the underground of Mountain Glenn, White Fang members hastily ran back and forth, carrying ammo and explosives onto the train cars. Roman Torchwick stood uneasily as Cinder stood nearby, watching over the members of the 'Fang. Since Emerald, Mercury and Adam had been 'swayed' by Eien, Cinder had been on his ass relentlessly, practically doubling his work to the point he considering contacting the little brat from Beacon and just making a deal with him to kill the bitch, but he held out. Despite how much he disliked being someone's minion, he'd do so if it meant he'd still be living the good life... or the better life, at least.

''Roman, we're leaving in less than a minute'' Cinder informed as she pocketed her scroll and I mentally cursed, deciding to go with the only plan that I could foresee resulted in me living; call Eien. He'd be able to sway the headmaster and gain him some leniency, probably, and kill the bitch Cinder. Without her annoying cronies around, he'd go back to living the good life and everything would be dandy.

''Sure, I just need'ta make a call'' I said as nonchalantly as possible. Her amber eyes narrowed, but more in annoyance opposed to suspicion.

''Fine, but make it quick'' She conceded as she turned elegantly and strutted off. I hastily turned and gained a little distance before pulling out my scroll, scrolling through my contact list before finding one labelled 'Contact 4' and clicked it. It rung several times, before the click was heard as Eien predictably picked up.

 _''Hello?''._

''Yeah, hi again bud'' I started off in a hushed voice, unwilling to say Eien's name aloud.

 _''Roman? What're you calling for?''._

''Oh nothing much, just to give you a little warning, since you know Vale's gonna be attacked and I wanted to warn ya''.

 _''What?! When, how?''._

''In a few minutes, through the-'' A searing flash of pain lanced through my chest, my breath suddenly fading from my lungs. I heard a dull, rhythmic thumping in my ears as warm crimson stained my shirt, the onyx black sword roughly being pulled out. My grip on my scroll gone as it hit the ground, my body joining it a moment later. I coughed as my own blood filled my throat, the crimson liquid splattering the dirty stone next to me.

''How pitiful, Roman'' Cinder mocked as her sword vanished at her will ''I knew you were a spy the whole time, and yet you think I believed your petty acts and plays. You were a pawn from the start, and now you die as a pawn''.

I glared up at you, intending to spit some of my blood at her, but from my position it did little other than dribble out of my mouth disgustingly.

''Hmph, I shall leave you to a fate best left to the Grimm'' She said smugly as she swiftly began moving to the train ''Say hello to the Beowolves for me, Roman''.

''...Fuck...'' I managed to curse one last time as my vision began to get hazy, the corners of my vision turning black. Just as my limbs became numb and my vision dying, I swore I saw two figures above me.

 _''Will he be alright?''_ One voice said, voice distant.

 _''If we hurry, then yes''_ The second murmured, their voice lower than the first.

 _''What about the train?''._

 _''Leave it to Beacon, they can handle it''._

 _''If you say so...''._

Then darkness claimed me.

* * *

''Of course she would strike on the _one day_ that we're not there!'' Eien growled furiously as the crimson Bullhead flew him and Ozpin back to Vale and maximum speed. His Spirits were busy healing and preparing to fight once more, not one of them complaining at the prospect, knowing it was their duty to protect the innocent. Still, that sentiment alone did little to calm his furious mood at having been one-upped by his opponent.

''Calm down'' Ozpin tried to soothe him, but was failing in that regard so far.

''How can I? My bloody arch-nemesis is in Vale, likely killing innocents however she pleases, and I'm sitting in a bloody Bullhead flying halfway across the world. Knowing my luck she'll be gone by the time I get there'' He ranted slightly, his hands twitching. A Sigil formed behind him abruptly, Kotori rising from it, her broom diagonally across her back. Without a word she hugged Eien from behind, being almost a head shorter than him.

''Kotori?'' He said in mild surprise, Ozpin discreetly moving to the cockpit to give them privacy.

''Please, calm down, Eien'' She murmured sadly, tightening her hold on him ''I don't like it when you get all angry, none of us do, not even _he_ does''.

Eien's face showed a mix of genuine surprise and shame for the first time in a long while. He turned around and hugged his little witch, sighing. He idly wondered he was bipolar, with how fast his anger appeared and disappeared.

''I'm sorry, Kotori. All of you'' He sighed, annoyed at himself for letting his anger show more prominence, and accidentally scaring his Spirits. The couldn't feel fear, but they could be scared to a degree, and this was that degree.

''Its okay'' She smiled happily, glad she had soothed the anger her creator had ''So, what's the plan?''.

Eien thought on it for a few moments, before speaking ''All of you who are capable of fighting will be deployed... the Monochrome Knights included. Our Seele Mitteilung won't recharge for at least a day, so we'll have to go without them. I'll handle Cinder, and I want at least two of you with Homura at all times to support her. If anyone on our side questions who you are, you are to say you are with Beacon Academy, and if they attack you regardless then you are permitted to perform a non-lethal takedown''.

 _''Affirmative''_ All of his Spirits chorused in his head.

He smiled lightly ''Alright... lets go do our job''.

* * *

Amber panted lightly as she ran through the streets, fighting all over the place as she headed for the source of the other half of the Maiden power. Cinder was on top of the rooftops nearby, and after finding a ladder she managed to spot the woman, who immediately locked eyes with her, smirking.

''Amber, how lovely to meet you again'' She said with a smirk, as if she had been expecting me.

''Cinder'' I half-growled, half-murmured ''I won't hold back against you, not after all of what you've done''.

Cinder's smirk just seemed to grow ''Interesting. I don't remember you being so violent, I wonder what's changed?''.

''What's changed?'' I said with my eyes narrowed ''Lots of things, none of which I care to tell you about''.

''Hmph'' Cinder narrowed her eyes before sweeping her arm at me. I saw it coming from a mile away, hopping backwards onto the roof behind me as three pillars of orange flames erupted where I stood, scorching the rooftop. I summoned up some of the Maidens power, forming a dozen ice crystals in front of me, sending them towards her with a flick of my wrist. She summoned a black sword from nowhere and slashed several of them away in less than a second, the rest missing her. I tapped into more of the Maidens power as I went airborne, using the wind to keep me afloat as I called down the raging thunder above.

Cinder, seeing what I planned, glowed faintly before she dragged her hand along her arm as her dress glowed, before firing a spear of flames at me. I scowled and brought a bolt of precise lightning down in an instant, meeting the flames halfway and eviscerating it. I sensed Cinder coming in from the side and pulled out my staff, spinning around and blocking both of Cinder's swords.

I called upon the wind and shoved her back before spinning the staff around so the head was facing her, the pink crystal facing her, a little gift from Eien. I pulled the trigger on the staff and it sent a projectile of pink energy at her, making the half-maiden curse as she used the wind to gracefully fly out of the way. She flicked her wrist and sent equally fast projectiles of flames, forcing me to jump out of the way to avoid them while maintaining my airborne status with the wind. I formed a fireball above me and threw it down at her, which she matched with an equally large fireball, causing an explosion that momentarily blinded me.

That was a mistake, it seemed, as Cinder burst through the smoke before I could react and brought her blade down on my shoulder, my Maiden-Enhanced Aura protecting it from being anything more than a flesh wound, but the pain was enough to make my will falter, the wind below me dissipating and making me fall the short distance to the roof, making me grunt in pain on impact. I stumbled to my feet, my vision slightly shaky before my Aura corrected it, allowing me to see the three arrows hurtling at me. I called upon the wind and let it push me back, the arrows crashing into the roof where I stood. A low indescribable noise below me warned me and I cursed, moving to avoid the fire pillars where I stood.

I spun my staff, which reloaded the chamber and pointed the head of the staff in the direction of Cinder, firing again. It flew into the smoke, but judging on the grunt I received I hit my target. She came flying out of the smoke with another fireball above her, forcing me to jump to another roof before creating a swarm of ice spikes, sending them flying at her. She winced as they cut through her Aura, the fireball exploding on the rooftop ahead of her. I spun my staff around and pointed the tail of it at her, a bright teal crystal on it. I pulled the trigger and it fired, sending a single projectile that broke off into no less than a hundred one centimetre missiles.

Cinder cursed, jumping high into the air with the wind to avoid the buckshot crystals, which is where I wanted her. I spun it to the pink crystal and fired, sending a pink projectile at her. Her eyes widened as she covered her face with her arms before it impacted her, sending her sailing down to ground level. I smirked faintly, pleased I had gotten at least one good hit on her, and that all my training for the past year or so wasn't for nothing.

I called upon the lightning once more, beckoning it down on Cinder just as she got up. Somehow she managed to dodge it at the last second before her two swords joined up into a bow. She notched three arrows and fired and I rolled out of the way, letting them crash into the building behind me. A low buzz below me was all the warning I got before I was engulfed in searing-hot flames, my Aura protecting me from being burned but the pain still hammering to my core. It was over swiftly and it left me falling to my knees gasping, my Aura having took a severe beating.

''How pitiful'' Cinder mocked as she strutted up to me smugly ''I do wonder why you were even made the Fall Maiden in the first place, you're weak''.

I glared up at her ''I never... wanted this power''.

''Well, why don't you give it up willingly?'' She said, but it was clear she would kill me either way. Probably.

''Fuck... you'' I glared, defiantly stumbling to my feet ''I won't let... all of the help from... my friends... go to waste!''.

''How moving'' She intoned with narrowed eyes, as if she took offence to that. She flicked her wrist and nearly a dozen circles of flames appeared below me, making me curse as I pushed a lot of Aura into the wind, roughly shoving me out of the flames, even though my foot still got caught in it.

I stayed airborne, since it was the only way I wouldn't get caught in her fire pillars, and summoned both the wind and lightning, blowing the wind at her and making her pause in her advance before bringing a thundering bolt of thunderous lightning down on her. I took morbid glee in how her body lit up as she was shocked, but unfortunately I had to stop before I ran out of Aura. Still, I took advantage of her frazzled state of mind as I dashed over there with the assistance of the wind, slamming the side of the staff into her side, knocking the breath out of her lungs. I aimed the pink crystal at her face and fired, exploding at point-blank and firing her body several rooftops away.

I called upon more of the Maidens power, thunder booming above me as I struck down on where she stood. My vision was blinded momentarily, but when my vision recovered I saw three black projectiles heading for me. I had no time to dodge as the arrows pierced my chest, leaving me gasping for air as one of them likely hit my lung, the other two somewhere in my stomach. I stumbled as my breath came out in a wheeze, barely able to recognise Cinder in front of me through the pain. The handle of her sword smashed into my forehead. Spots filled my vision as I fell onto my back, breathing becoming more difficult as the drumming sound of my heart filled my ears.

''I was wrong, it seemed. You aren't as weak as I thought you to be, but you aren't strong enough to be worthy of wielding the Maidens might either'' Cinder said, her voice distance and muffled.

Even with my muddled vision and hearing, my eyes widened in terror at the sight of a horrifically familiar glove.

''Its time I took that power, wouldn't you agree?''.

* * *

''You all know what to do!'' Eien barked as he stared down at his Monochrome Knights, who lived within the Monochrome world where Nein resided.

 ** _''Lets kick some Grimm ass!''_ ** Nein grinned bloodthirstily, the abrasive one as always.

''What he said'' I nodded as the first of the Grimm turned down the street, chasing civilians ''Go!''.

''Hai!'' The Monochrome Knights roared as they jumped off the building, charging the mass of Grimm with weapons drawn, Nein leading them. It wasn't the full force of the Monochrome Knights, just a small 20-man group of them. Alexia was leading some a little north here while Nazai was leading a larger group straight to the source of the breach, with Ozpin having called Glynda to meet them there.

I felt Amber's Aura fade, as if it was draining. Over the explosions and sounds of battle I could _feel_ the pain her soul was taking, practically being torn apart. I clenched my jaw tightly in repressed fury before I took off in a run towards her. My friends at Beacon were strong enough to handle themselves, since no Grimm of considerable threat would be here. My Spirits were scattered across the city in pairs, protecting civilians and killing Grimm.

Using SchattenSchritt I quickly accelerated my pace through the city, hopping across rooftops. When I got close enough I went into another SchattenSchritt, finding Cinder smugly standing over a barely-conscious Amber and I gritted my teeth, fury rising. I grabbed her by the hair from behind and slung her, surprise on her face as she was sent flying into a building, crashing into it. I knelt down next to Amber, who's eyes were fluttering as her consciousness flickered, the amount of blood pooling around her likely meaning if she lost consciousness, she'd die.

''Amber, Amber!'' I called loudly after the first try didn't work. Her eyes looked up at me weakly, filled with such pain it was almost as if I was feeling the pain ''Stay awake Amber, don't sleep, not yet...''.

My lips pressed into a thin line ''I can save you... do you want me to?''.

It seemed like a ridiculous question, but at the same time it was courtesy more than anything. She was in pain, and while she could live past that, if she didn't want to live a life of pain and struggle any longer, who was I to deny her that freedom?

To my relief, she gave a barely-there nod and smile. Her eyes fluttered shut as unconsciousness took her, yet the smile didn't leave her face. I smiled faintly in returned as I pressed a hand to her chest, waiting for her heart to stop. It would be the least painful way for her. When it did, I acted.

''Seele Ernten, Auseinander'' I whispered, the golden beam coming from my upper back and around, piercing her chest with an intangible energy. I didn't waste any time, activating it and absorbing her soul into mine. Her body disintegrated to ash, which was blown away in a gust of wind. I took a breath to calm myself as I stood up, making a mental note to check up on Amber later.

''So we meet again, Cinder'' I intoned, turning around to look at Cinder Fall as she stood to her feet, stoic.

''Indeed, Eien'' She retorted calmly, a silence ensuing between us. There was a strange... air about it all, the whole scene. I _hated_ Cinder, yet when I looked at her now I couldn't bring that hatred to surface, for reasons only now clear to me.

''You realise you won't be leaving here alive, right?'' I asked with a touch of solemnity.

She stared for a moment, before closing her eyes and tilting her head down, a smile on her face ''I am well aware of that''.

I raised an eyebrow ''Oh?''.

''I may not live to see the next sunrise, but I am willing to die knowing that Lady Salem will be your end'' She added, looking at me with bright sunset orbs.

''Hm'' I hummed, explosions echoing around the city block we stood upon ''I used to hate you, you know? Ever since you attacked Ruby, since your crimes came to light, all of it only fuelled my need to end your existence. But now I realise that it was a ridiculous act. You and I are not overly different, in a sense. We both have goals to achieve, being pawns to a greater being. The biggest difference is the side where we stand. You side with Salem and I with the Gods above, you plotted the downfall of Beacon while I planned your downfall. You gained strength by killing Amber and gaining the powers of the Fall Maiden, while I gained strength through a year of training under Death himself. You manipulate, I befriend. You use fire, I use ice. We're different yet the same''.

''And because of that, it is I who will bring you down'' I finished, drawing out my katana, Judgement forming in my free hand, manipulated by my Semblance.

''I couldn't have put it any better myself'' She huffed as she glowed, the Maidens power activating ''Perhaps in another lifetime, we could be friends''.

I smiled lightly ''Perhaps so''.

We stared at one another for a moment, before we charged. I sprinted across the rooftop as she flicked her wrists, forcing me to jump to the side to avoid twin bolts of lightning. I summoned my Aura and condensed it into my blade, slashing it in a wide arc in front of me, sending a purple wave of energy towards her. She jumped over it using the wind, but the small distraction was enough for me to get close to her. She summoned her onyx sword just as I clashed with her, standing on a Sigil to keep me airborne. I swung Judgement around, forcing her to break the deadlock lest her head get cut off by my scythe, though she managed to strike my chest with a spear of flames.

I jumped back, forming a Wind Sigil with a mental order, the power of the wind shooting me at her like a bullet. She barely had time to raise her sword again before I clashed with her, the force behind it off-balancing her. She was still weakened by Amber then, regardless if her power had increased. I spun Judgement around and broke the deadlock before hooking my scythe on her blade, pulling it. She was stronger than me physically and prepared for the manoeuvre it seemed, as she didn't stumble and instead dislodged my blade, firing a spear of flames at me in return.

I tapped into Era's power, causing the clock on my cheek to glow faintly as time slowed down a little. I dodged out of the way, my body feeling like it was surrounded by water in the process, and dashed at her while cancelling the power. To Cinder, it would look like I just doubled my speed, dodging her spear and rushing her. My blade came crashing against hers once more and I condensed my Aura within it. Her eyes widened slightly before the energy exploded point-blank, engulfing us in a cloud of smoke. I jumped back, prepping another one before firing it into the smoke, hitting her judging from her pained gasp.

Summoning a gravity Sigil, I took morbid pleasure as she was sent flying down to ground level, crushing a few tiles from the impact. I deactivated it almost immediately to save Aura, instead using SchattenSchritt to move down to her level. She was just getting to her feet when I appeared, so I solved it by kicking her in the stomach, knocking the oxygen from her lungs. I stomped on her hand and kicked the sword away, ramming my knee into her face and making her fall onto her back.

''Seele Ernten'' I murmured under my breath, the beam of energy burst out and piercing her chest in all of three seconds, paralyzing her. Her eyes widened and I stared back at her, shaking my head as she tried to struggle ''This is the end, Cinder Fall... any last words?''.

She glared ''You may have won the battle, but Salem will win this war''.

I smiled faintly just before I activated the technique ''Wise words, Cinder, but sadly not all wise words are true''.

''Seele Ernten, Ausnehmen''.

Her screams of pain were lost to the battle around us.

* * *

An hour of fighting later, the battle came to an end. The White Fang members had either been killed or imprisoned, the Grimm all eradicated and the injured taken to hospitals. After my fight with Cinder, in a fight where I obtained minimum wounds, I found Ozpin and was currently planning our next move with him within his office.

''With Cinder out of the way, Salem is likely to make a move sometime soon, possibly within the month'' I intoned, looking through my scroll which had been updated by Ozpin, allowing me access to the school records and such, giving me administration privileges. It allowed me to look through both student and teacher records and statistics, which I used with subtle care.

''Indeed, I'll have the council enlist more guards around the perimeter of Vale under the guise of preventing this incident once again'' Ozpin nodded, pausing to take a sip of his coffee and giving me a slightly concerned look ''Are you alright, Eien?''.

Was I? No, I wasn't. I felt like I had a sword through my chest, all because of Cinder's death. Never prior to this would I have thought I would feel like this after killing her, too obscured by my hate. The conversation prior to our short, but final fight was likely what was effecting me most. Could we have been friends? Could I have made her an ally, someone close to me, if I had tried harder? Was there truly no path of redemption for her? It was like a weight hanging over me, reminding me of my failure to save someone who could've. It wasn't only because of the potential to save her, but also that her presence on our side could turn the tide in the coming fights against Salem. That wasn't even mentioning the effects of Seele Ernten: Ausnehmen.

So was I alright? No, I wasn't, but moping wouldn't do anyone any good.

''I will be'' I answered neutrally ''Regardless-''.

I stopped myself as I picked up three Aura signatures behind me, literally appearing out of nowhere. The first was easily recognisable; Roman Torchwick, but given its state he was unconscious and wounded. The other two were strong, almost rivalling Ozpin prior to him removing his glasses. Both had a slightly familiar feel to it, but I couldn't pin it down. Ozpin also noticed them, his eyes wide as if shocked. With a swift spin of my hell, I spun to face them.

The one on the right was shorter, about 5'7 or so, just an inch taller than me. She had dark brown hair tied into a braid that laid over her right shoulder, and to my surprise she also had heterochromic purple-light blue eyes. She wore a grey cloak with an orange pauldron on her shoulders, she had a dark orange shirt underneath with elbow-length gauntlets, brown combat slacks underneath with grey boots. At her waist was a high-calibre revolver with a blade attached to the underside of the barrel. There must've been something on her back under the cloak, but I couldn't see it.

The second one on the left was taller, at around 5'9 or 5'10. She had dark hair that reached her chin with it falling to the middle of her back behind her, the ends of her hair turning red. Her eyes were a bright silver, akin to Ruby's. She was wearing a white cloak with a hood, said hood being down to reveal her young-looking face. She had a grey dress with silver cuffs and silver skirt hem, a black corset around her stomach, black stockings and a pair of boots. She looked eerily similar to Ruby, but the white cloak around her confirmed it wasn't Ruby.

''And who might you be?'' I wondered aloud, hand reaching for my katana.

''Marisol Haizen'' The brown haired woman said bluntly with a smile, my brain screeching to a halt from her comment, almost unable to hear the other woman.

''And I'm Summer, Summer Rose''.

...

...

Shutting down...

Rebooting...

Processing...

Comprehending...

Debugging...

...

...

''Eh?''.

* * *

Ruby wasn't sure why she was being called up to the headmasters office, though she did know it had something to do with Eien, since Ozpin had briefly mentioned it. She swore she heard voices that were not Eien's in the background, but she passed it off as one of his Spirits. She hoped maybe she could hang out with them more often, since they were pretty funny and acted like a family almost. One of the strange things she had noticed six months ago was that Eien never mentioned anything about the drain on his Aura when it came to his Spirits, so either he no longer felt the drain or he was just that strong and he didn't feel it.

Still, the invasion earlier might also be what she was being called up for. The rest of the team wasn't called so it might not be a mission, or maybe just her and Eien on a mission, or maybe not. She had did as Eien asked and led the team into the battlefield, clearing a major amount of Grimm and in the process running into... Alexia I think her name was? I hadn't seen her since Eien died, but she had been busy leading the monochrome-looking troops, so I didn't get the chance to stop and talk.

The elevator dinged open as she arrived, and was greeted to an odd sight. Eien was almost casually talking with an older woman, maybe around Goodwitch's age, who honestly looked like an older - and female - version of him. She wasn't much taller, had the same heterochromic eyes and brown hair. Both were casually talking with Ozpin, engaging in a three-way conversation, a look of reminiscence on Ozpin's and the woman's face apparently indicated they were thinking on the past. I stepped out of the elevator, drawing attention to me as the lull in the conversation allowed my entrance.

''Hey Ruby'' Eien smiled, waving to emphasis the greeting ''There's someone here to meet you''.

''Okay?'' I said with a trace of uncertainty, but was more curious than anything. I looked at the woman, but she shook her head and pointed behind me. Confused, I obeyed.

And froze.

Leaning against the wall next to one of the potted plants in Ozpin's office, was my mother. Her hair was no longer as short as it once was, and she looked a little older, yet still so young. She smiled softly when I spotted her, and it took my brain a second more to realise that she was hugging me.

''Hey sweetie'' She whispered quietly.

''M-Mom?'' I murmured, my brain trying to understand how she was here. The first, and most likely option was that Eien had somehow brought her back to life, but he'd likely have told me six months prior when he was exploring Death's Archives. The second was that she had been alive this whole time, yet chose not to return. That possibility hurt, but she must have a reason for it - even Raven had a reason; the mission.

''The one and only'' She joked lightly, running a hand through my hair and tittering ''We need to get you a haircut young lady''.

A couple chuckles came from Ozpin, the other woman and Eien. Despite that, I looked up at her silver eyes, asking the first thing on my mind ''How?''.

She smiled softly ''I faked my death, all those years ago, because I had to leave. I had a good reason to though, the same as Marisol over here; to protect you kids''.

I frowned ''Huh?''.

She smirked a little, a mischievous look in her eyes as she added ''I'm the Summer Maiden, Marisol is the Spring Maiden''.

...

...

''Eh?''.

''My exact thoughts'' Eien drawled in amusement ''Having my mother suddenly appear with Roman, claiming she's the Spring Maiden is not a common thing''.

''When I left on my final mission all those years ago I had nearly been killed by an S-Rank Grimm, but at that exact moment near my death I had been gifted with the power of the Summer Maiden, which healed me enough to live. I wanted to return, but not long before I reached Patch a group of militants came looking for me, raiding the town I was living in and looking for me'' She explained at length ''I fled, and I met Marisol not long after. As the Maidens, we hold an incredibly old power, one nearly as old as Remnant itself, so its not surprising some would hunt us down to claim that power, even if they're unaware that they had to be female and young to be chosen, and even that was unlikely''.

''We couldn't return, because if we did there was the chance they would harm our children or worse'' Marisol added, nursing a cup of tea ''But with the more recent... _developments_ , we can afford to come out of hiding''.

I smiled then, looking at my mom ''Well, that just means you're now twice as cool as before, a _super-_ super mom''.

Summer smiled, ruffling my hair and giggling lightly ''That's my girl!''.

''Summer'' Ozpin called out, pausing to sip his coffee ''Perhaps you would like to explore the school once more, reconnect with your daughter?''.

Mom smiled ''Sure, lead the way Rubes''.

''Eh? You want me to?'' I said uncertainly.

''Yep'' She grinned, pushing me to the elevator ''I always got lost, so you can show me!''.

 _'...but I always get lost too!'._

* * *

As the elevator door closed, I turned to look at my Mother and Ozpin ''You do realise Ruby gets lost too, right?''.

''She does?'' Mom said, slightly surprised but equally amused.

''Indeed'' Ozpin smirked a little ''I do not know how, but at one point she managed to get halfway up the tower before realising she wasn't in the dorms''.

Mom laughed ''That's just like something Summer would do!''.

''Yes... now, about the SDC...'' I hummed, calmly sipping my tea, idly musing it might need more sugar. The seriousness in my tone immediately dissipated the cheery atmosphere, but it wouldn't have lasted regardless. We couldn't make a move on Salem with the SDC potentially creating more problems and we couldn't directly expose them to the world, since that would hurt just as much as help.

''Have you managed to find anything?'' Ozpin asked in a musing tone.

I shook my head ''Eleanor, Risa and Mona are looking through it at the moment, but nothing overly incriminating so far... although there were little hints that there might be a larger, more advanced one at the SDC Headquarters in Atlas''.

''Do you know if its active?''.

''Perhaps, but its likely'' I conceded ''It'll be a few hours, but they'll get through it by then''.

''Then we shall have to wait until then'' Ozpin decided musingly ''Until we have more information, we cannot form a solid plan, though I assure you we will be acting quite soon''.

''I'll inform you when they're done'' I nodded, humming as I turned my gaze to my mother ''So...''.

''So...'' She drawled also, both of our tones a little awkward.

''Perhaps some training in the forest?'' Ozpin thankfully interjected ''I'm sure if anything, the two of you may find it interesting''.

''I'd like that'' Marisol smiled, the smile turning into a smirk as she looked at me ''Race you to the ruins in the Emerald Forest?''.

''Very well'' I smirked, my vision turning black as I used SchattenSchritt, the faint sound of another using it hinting my mother was adept in the skill also.

Perhaps I could enjoy myself, if only a little to take my mind of my troubles.

* * *

''So how've you been? Did your father treat you well since I, you know'' Summer said, starting the conversation and breaking the awkward air.

''Yeah, he kinda shut down though, so Yang had to take care of me until Dad started functioning again'' I shrugged a little, my mom furrowing her brows at that ''He did try, obviously, but after you left... it... yeah''.

''Sorry'' She apologised.

''Its fine'' I hummed, hugging her ''Because you're here now''.

She smiled, hugging me back, cloaking us in a mix of red and white. No words passed and we just stood like that for a few moments before breaking off and continuing our walk through the school halls. Only a few minutes passed before I came up with another thing to talk about.

''Ooh, can I see your weapon?'' I beamed at the prospect, which made her smile and nod. She reached behind her, oddly enough in the same spot where I stored my own weapon, and pulled out a rather unassuming brown bag, far too small to house a weapon, probably the size of a head. She just untied the top, revealing the inside to be filled with a weird purple-blue-red liquid-thing. She reached inside, her hand disappearing into the gel-liquid, her arm going further and further into it until it reached her elbow, then she smiled in victory.

Her arm tensed and she retracted it faster than how she pushed it in, pulling out what I presumed her weapon was. Only after she fully pulled it out and dropped the bag did I get a good look at it, and it make my eyes go wide. It was a long, silver-white pole with a scythe on either end, the metallic blades a light grey with an odd purple streak across it. The length of the pole as almost as tall, if not taller than my mom and had slight, intricately styled marks and designs on them, most in a consistent fashions of a rose, raven and sun. Near the halfway mark was a hexagonal diamond shaped ammo spot, currently holding a Dust Crystal.

The crystal in question was one I had never seen before. I wasn't an expert like Weiss, but I hadn't seen one that was dark blue, purple and blood red all in one, constantly moving and blending randomly like paint. At one end of the double-scythe I saw a barrel, meaning either it fired Dust-rounds or some kind of purified Dust from the crystal itself. It also had a rifle stock near one end, meaning it could be used as a gun.

Overall, it was _badass._

''That's so cool!'' I squealed, staring at the weapon in awe ''Its awesome...''.

Summer giggled ''Hehe, yeah. I had a little help from Marisol since my original weapon got destroyed when I nearly died. I call her Summer Breeze''.

''Cool~'' I drooled a little, looking at the masterful craftsmanship.

''Can I see yours?'' My mom asked.

Suddenly self-conscious, I sheepishly pulled out Crescent Rose, feeling for once my weapon was insignificant compared to another ''Its not that impressive...''.

''Ooh~!'' Summer squealed, mimicking my earlier action ''Its so pretty~ What's it do?''.

''Its also a high-impact customizable sniper rifle?'' I said uncertainly, absentmindedly reminded of me repeating the same thing to Eien on our first day.

''Its awesome'' She grinned, ruffling my hair ''What's it called?''.

''Crescent Rose'' I smiled, a little more confident from her praise.

''Crescent Rose and Summer Breeze'' She giggled, attaching the bag to her back again ''I don't get many chances to see cool weapons, since me and Marisol have been travelled across Mistral and Atlas for the past few years''.

''We were in Mistral not long ago'' I informed wistfully, remembering our awesome time prior to Eien's temporary death - she had yet to receive and answer on why that was.

''Yeah, we saw you'' She smiled ''We were actually keeping an eye on Seraphim for a while, we tried to stop her but she ended up blowing up Rockledge, so we had to pull back and treat our wounds''.

''She was that strong?'' I frowned a little.

Summer sighed, nodding ''Yeah, one of Salem's pawns. We could've won, but we underestimated her and she had a countermeasure encase me and Marisol intervened, which resulted in blowing up the town. She's probably on par with an A-Rank Hunter, give or take a bit''.

''Oh'' I mumbled, nodding. I hadn't realised how strong she was, but I had thought she was on our level. That is (E)RWBY came together they could defeat her, even without Eien leading them.

''Still, he's come a long way since then'' Summer nodded, referring to Eien I think ''You two are pretty close, gimme the details''.

I flushed at the prospect ''Mom!''.

''I'm kidding!'' She laughed, a laugh melodic like the wind. An explosion cut that laugh off as our heads snapped to the side, staring out the window. In the Emerald Forest was a giant, flaming bird about the size of a Giant Nevermore, before it was obliterated by a beam of rainbow energy.

''What's happening?'' I asked, a little worried.

''Eh, just Marisol and Eien fighting'' Summer shrugged ''I can sense them from here, they're fine - probably training or something equally dangerous''.

''So... ignore it?'' I asked.

She nodded, smiling ''Ignore it''.

* * *

Their conversations continued from there, occasionally interrupted by explosions on the Haizen's part, but otherwise they continued. Mom told me tales of her adventures, both as a Huntress and her time with Marisol. The latter were more funny, since it seemed Marisol and Eien shared the trait of doing absolutely ridiculous things so casually it made people question their - and their own - sanity. As the conversation shifted to me, I told my own tales, of Signal, of meeting Eien and my time in Beacon with my team, everything. I had brought up the subject of Eien's 'Dunkelheit' since it was an important aspect of his power, and to my surprise my mom knew a fair bit about it.

''When you're with Marisol for that length of time, you get used to crazy things like that'' She smiled, ruffling my hair affectionately ''They aren't the only ones who can create sentient life though, my side of the family has always been able to do it''.

''Really?'' I said in mild surprise. I had asked Eien prior, but he had told me I couldn't do it because I didn't have Dunkelheit, maybe he didn't know?

''Yup'' Summer nodded, smiling ''Although we aren't as good at it, since we're more of warriors while they're a more complex type of fighter''.

''Can you teach me?'' I asked, excited.

''Perhaps you should ask Eien when he's got the time'' She smiled ''I learnt mine from Marisol, so you can learn yours from Eien. But one thing you need to remember when created life is that you always need to take care of them - they're people too''.

''I will!'' I beamed with determination, before a question appeared ''But who did you create then?''.

''Me'' A female voice suddenly said. Confused, I looked around, but found no-one ''Down here''.

Looking down, I froze upon seeing a reflection on Summer Breeze's blade, one of a woman in her mid-teens with stark white hair, pale complexion and crimson eyes. The thing was, it was literally a reflection of sorts, the person was basically on the other side of a mirror, said mirror being the blade.

''Wha...?''.

''I am Summer Breeze, Miss Rose's one and only 'Spirit', as it has been titled'' The girl said articulately, my mind clanking to a halt.

''Mom...''.

''Yes honey?''.

''Your weapon is talking''.

''I am well aware of that''.

''...You made your weapon come to life, didn't you?''.

''...Maybe?''.

''...Teach me... that's so cool...''.

* * *

 **A/N: And we'll end it there on a cheery note, before we get back into the thick of things in the next chapter.**

 **So the SDC has been doing bad shit, Eien's got an insta-kill gun that shoots rainbows, Cinder is dead, Amber is dead, stuff will be revealed soon, Summer and Marisol are Maidens that had faked their deaths, this story is starting to seem more like a crack series than anything. I will try and interject my reasons into these things, because I know more than a few will be... uncomfortable(?) with them.**

 **The SSS-Rank Grimm was powerful, yes, but the reason it died as easy as it did to Eien was because Eien was literally wielding the power of Life, Time and Reality in that instance. If you remember, those three gods gave him a tiny portion of his power, and he used all three in combination to create an energy that was, for lack of better word, existence itself. He literally _erased its existence,_ which is why it died so easily. The gun won't be used to kill anything he actually has a hard time fighting for - its mostly just a flashy thing, if you understand. He could use it on a Beowulf just for jokes, but he wouldn't use it on someone like Cinder because he doesn't want to _erase_ her, because he'd feel bad - for reasons later explained.**

 **Also, Eien wasn't kidding when he said he could blow up half of the continent. The reason behind that is a suicide attack; he would destroy his own soul through Soul Suicide, acting like a mini-nuke. Add in the fact all of his Spirits would die with him, he becomes a super-powerful suicide nuke. However, its unlikely if not guaranteed that will not happen in the story.**

 **Amber is dead, but is now alive and a Spirit like Neo is. For anyone wondering, Neo will make an appearance soon, but there'll be a reason why she hasn't shown up recently. For those wondering if Cinder is now a Spirit - no. Seele Ernten: Ausnehmen isn't the same as Seele Ernten: Auseinander. The latter is the original version, which absorbs the victims soul into Eien's, while Ausnehmen _destroys_ the consciousness of the soul and just absorbs the energy of the soul. I'm sure you capable of theorising what I'm planning.**

 **The reason why Cinder's fight with Eien was so short came down to a few reasons; Cinder was already injured from fighting Amber, Eien is a strong fighter, she hadn't been able to defend from the majority of Eien's attacks and one of the biggest was that she had no intentions of surviving the fight, and other reasons I may bring up in future. Cinder is not pure evil, merely a misguided individual.**

 **The reason I decided to bring Summer back from the dead was to save me making one of the Maiden's an OC. Summer faked her death to prevent evil people from hunting Ruby, Yang and Taiyang down because they were her family, so she faked her death and fled. Marisol was the same; she didn't raise Eien because of this, and her husband died because he went with her.**

 **Canon Season 2-3 are probably in shreds right now, I can assure you. Any prior promises of it coming around are now invalid, since we've moved so far from canon its amusing. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, and if all continues as I had plotted, then this story will be around... 25-30 chapters? It depends on how long I make parts and how much details I go into to fill the 10K word limit. Also, the translation;**

 **Seele Ernten: Ausnehmen = Soul Reap: Evisceration.**

 **Till next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Ancient Arts

**A/N: More of an interlude chapter than anything else, but still worth existing for its additions to the plot and world development, in my eyes.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 20: Ancient Arts**

* * *

The sound in the room was almost silent, the only sounds being pen on paper, footsteps and either a thoughtful hum or an aggravated growl. The response depended on the outcome. Eien stood in his 'study' within his mansion, within his soul. It was the only place he could truly claim he had privacy, since nobody could gain access to his soul without extreme, rare methods and he would notice it instantly and deal with it accordingly. His Spirits wouldn't rat out on him, so there was that too.

Risa, Eleanor and Mona had informed him they completed their work, but had found troubling things. Of course, he immediately ceased his sparring with his mother and after giving an apology - one she easily accepted - I entered my own soul. The findings my Spirits had found troubling were... troubling indeed. Lists of people who had been taken from their homes, lists that details their condition as experiments continued - ranging from malformation to downright gruesome like growing multiple heads. Even more troubling were lists of other targets, some of them just because they were healthy, middle-class individuals while others for more specific reasons such as heritage and large Aura.

It appears the SDC, or whoever was behind this, had not intended this to be a small-scale operation. One of the documents contained a list of locations of other facilities, either active or abandoned. One of the 'newest' documents we could find was from four years ago, meaning that everything on that list was subject to change. It was a miracle that the SDC hadn't sent a clean-up crew to burn it all. Probably because they couldn't use their Atlesian Knights to kill all the mutants and couldn't call upon the military or hunters because it would risk exposing them... unless hunters had been sent in the past, threatened to expose them and were disposed of.

Honestly I could see why Adam held such strong disdain for the SDC now, although the circumstances differed. The biggest problem was that I couldn't outright expose them, because if I did then Weiss would be in danger, no matter how much proof was shoved in the faces of the spectators.

To my knowledge, the SDC hadn't been especially cruel to Faunus under their employment. They were paid minimum wage for work that shouldn't be paid that little, had more than a few human superiors that were harsh and racist, and even Shiro Schnee seemed to be racist, if only because of the White Fang. He didn't seem like that much up front; cold, calculating, polite, everything a CEO of a major company should be. At first glance it seemed like a typical businessman who ran a major company, someone you didn't want to mess with.

What was lesser known was the fact that he was an ex-huntsman. Not a particularly known fact because he hadn't held the career for more than a year, since he had to take over the company. I didn't doubt his skills though, Ozpin likely only saw combat every few months, if not years, yet he was a monster on the battlefield, magic or not - I hadn't even seen him at full power yet.

I sighed, running a hand over my face. The stress would probably turn my hair grey before long, I mused idly. I had confirmed that the SDC Headquarters in Atlas held another, more modern but smaller facility, one hidden from prying eyes. The most recent information on it was that it did less dangerous experiments, mainly focusing on mixing Dust within the human body to see its affects among other things.

The plan I had drew up so far was a rather simple one, a plan that had multiple flaws and could ended badly if not done correctly. Not to mention this could potentially ignite another war, though of a different kind. Then again, I knew many things that could ignite a war, few of which I would be willing to share. The plan; fly over Atlas, drop in at the SDC and sneak into the main facility while Weiss, Ruby and Yang go to meet Shiro Schnee. Ruby and Yang will go with Weiss because they'll pose as her teammates and say the fourth and fifth are busy. Meanwhile me, Blake and a few of my Spirits will sneak in and do what we can to gather evidence and free anyone who is saveable.

So a very rickety plan.

I sighed ''Oum, this is frustrating...''.

''Perhaps you should take a break, Father?'' Eleanor said, likely haven snuck into the room silently when I wasn't paying attention. The concern she held broke through her monotone, showing said emotion. I shook my head, sighing again.

''Taking a break only delays the inevitable'' I dismissed, scanning over the wall of documents I pinned to it and the others I placed on the table. As I did, a set of words caught my eye, making me read it over.

 _''It seems that there are still incredibly powerful heritages amongst the kingdoms, surviving the test of time. Most are unaware of their power, if not all of them are unaware. The Arc family has two children who possess such powerful heritages, both of them locked away, one a boy and one a girl. Unfortunately the Arc family currently reside in Vale and any attempts at offering prime housing in Atlas has been met with failure. Interestingly, more Shades have popped up recently, having a child. The father was found recently and detained, but his power had been leeched prior to us finding him, leading me to believe that the mother was responsible, maybe even the child in a rare case''._

 _''The Lie clan was found recently and subsequently captured when they left Vale via Airship to go to Mistral. We intercepted them before they could fully cross the border, but one of our pilots had idiotically shot out their engines, sending it crashing into the beach below. It was abandoned, thankfully, and we found success in capturing them. Several died in the crash, mainly the young ones, but we succeeded in capturing just under a dozen of them. They were truly unique, two or three of them possessing the ancient power of_ _Shé wǔ. Sadly, they died before long and we were unsuccessful in gaining the knowledge behind the ancient art. They died shortly after''._

The grip on the paper both wavered and tightened, forcing me to place it down lest I rip the document. I heaved a deep breath, my fingers twitching as I forced myself to calm down lest I blow up - figuratively and literally, in a sense. They had intended to target Jaune's family, _had_ targeted Ren's clan - which posed the question on how he survived - and also someone or something called Shades. I turned to Eleanor, who was looking at me with concern, considering this was a state I rarely got into, since anger was difficult to inspire within me unless it came to hurting those close to me.

''Eleanor, I need you to go contact Ozpin'' I ordered sternly ''Ask him to look up everything he can on 'Shades'. People, places, myths, anything. It might also be an old thing, a legend or forgotten piece of history. Relay it back''.

She nodded, becoming serious. I opened a dimensional gate, allowing her to leave my soul and contact Ozpin. Sighing, I once again enlisted the assistance of Risa, who would be better for this situation anyway.

 _'Risa'_ I mentally called out.

 _''Hm...?''_ Risa hummed, slightly sultry in tone... perhaps the ability to summon alcohol at will wasn't the best of abilities his soul possessed.

''I need you to go find Jaune and Ren and bring them here. Its important'' I said firmly, which shook her out of her stupor enough to become more coherent.

 _''Mm, sure thing~''_ She sang, her presence leaving my soul as she made her own dimension gate - a feat only capable of several of my Spirits, regardless of strength.

I sighed, trying and failing to reign in my fury.

* * *

The dorm room of JNPR was rather inactive, since the four students had been active in the fighting. Pyrrha was in the shower, Ren was sitting on his bed with Nora humming a tune next to him, holding a magazine above her and lying on her back. Jaune was polishing Crocea Mors on his bed, looking out the window occasionally. The atmosphere was quite cheery, that was until the air literally shattered with intangible glass, making all three current occupants jump in surprise. Risa walked out, looking half-serious, half... _off_.

''Jaune and Ren, right?'' She hummed noncommittally, looking at each boy as she said that ''I'm supposed to bring you to Eien, said he needed you for something''.

''Huh? What for?'' Jaune asked, already attaching his weapons back in their places encase he needed to fight.

Risa shrugged. brushing some dark green hair out of her eye ''I don't know. He sounded pissed though''.

An awkward moment passed, Jaune and Ren looking at each other until Jaune indiscreetly murmured ''Did we do something to piss him off?''.

''I don't think so'' Ren shrugged, unsure.

Risa huffed ''Its probably not what you did, but something that relates to you or you might know about. It might not even be related to you, and that he's just pissed for whatever reason... might be because of _that_ ''.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but Risa interrupted him ''Anyway, c'mon, don't want to keep him waiting''.

''Can I come?'' Nora asked, popping up next to the snake-like teen, who merely cast a disinterested look at her.

''No'' She said bluntly, rolling her eyes ''Eien didn't say you could and if he's as pissed as he is now, he wouldn't want his friends seeing him in that state, unless he called for them 'course''.

''We won't be long'' Ren assured his friend Nora, who pouted but nodded, bouncing back onto her bed. Ren merely gave a nod to Risa, who hummed and retreated into the still-present portal. Jaune followed his friend swiftly, disappearing into the portal seconds before it faded from existence.

Within Eien's soul, Jaune and Ren marvelled at the world they had only been told of in passing. The land of rolling green hills and fields, while plain, was a vast and beautiful sight to behold. Distant forests could be made out, the occasional flower sitting on the ground with houses dotted amongst the hills, distant and near. They unfortunately didn't get long to marvel at it until Risa started moving again in a steady stride towards a large, wooden mansion that was less than a hundred metres away.

''Is this were Eien lives, within his soul at least?'' Ren asked in polite curiosity.

''Yeah, though he doesn't spend too much time there'' She shrugged ''But with all the stuff going on recently, he might spend more time there, which can either be good or bad depending on perspective''.

Silence ensued after that, filled by the uncertainty that came with being unsure of what was to come. Jaune, on the other hand, couldn't help as his eyes unintentionally lowering to her sashaying hips, blushing a little. As they came close to the mansion, Risa turned around, still walking.

''Mm, didn't know blondie was a perv'' She teased with a sly smirk, Ren discreetly exiting the conversation by entering the building.

''S-Sorry'' Jaune spluttered, embarrassed at being caught. His spluttering increased when she teasing unzipped her hoodie slightly, fondling the zipper suggestively.

''Maybe after this you and I can... _relieve some stress_ '' She smirked, turning towards the door as Jaune used all his willpower to not get a nosebleed from the images ''I'll have you know I'm quite... flexible''.

Pretending not to notice his nosebleed, Risa sashayed into the building, smirking widely to the point Ren took his eyes off of the pristine entrance hall to give her a raised eyebrow, which she responded with an even wider smirk.

''Its quite impressive'' He commented, ignoring Jaune who had a nosebleed and was failing to control it ''Though it is a little hard to breath''.

''That's because of Eien'' Risa shrugged, smirk dropping for a frown, her gaze roaming over the room ''His presence is so powerful, his emotions so wild that his power manifests into the air, making it thicker''.

''Incredible'' Ren hummed, gazing around also.

Risa snorted ''This isn't the worst its been. At times when he's _absolutely furious_ \- something that I have only seen once - even gravity is affected, plant life dies, building crumble to ash, living beings die... his power is vast, far more than anything I'll ever attain, yet it only makes me respect him more''.

Ren noted that statement, that it wasn't mere friendship Risa - and presumably, most if not all Spirits - held for Eien, it was also respect. It was to be expected really, since he created them and was capable of creating more on a whim without visible pain. Hell, many of his friends and fellow students respected him, whether it was because of his incredible power, his kind heart, his kindness to Faunus, he was a role model for generations to come. His friends were more aware of his 'full personality', which had a more devious side, one that was willing to do _anything_ to ensure the safety of his friends and the innocent civilians of Vale, even if it meant killing dozens. He had an infamous criminal, Roman Torchwick, under his thumb and was actively working with him. He wasn't the purest of the pure, but he was a good person at heart.

''Anyway'' She said, shaking her head lightly as she started walking towards a large, grand staircase in the middle of the room ''He's waiting''.

They progressed through the house, moving down several hallways that made the mansion feel even larger than it looked. Soon though they reached their destination, though the air was even thicker. It wasn't to the point it left them struggling to breath, but it just felt stuffy, though Risa showed no reaction to the thicker air.

She knocked twice on the door ''Master~ I brought Jauney and Renny~''.

Immediately, the thickness of the air was reduced slightly, but noticeably. Eien voice spoke up in but a murmur, something the two male teens couldn't hear, but Risa nodded regardless and opened the door, strolling in casually. The room wasn't the largest of rooms, but even then it was relatively big. The square room was surrounded on all sides by dark oak walls and roof, the floor a slightly lighter shade with no carpet. On the left wall was several boards with dozens of pieces of paper pinned to it, more laying on the tables below it.

Eien was standing above them, muttering something to himself as he shifted through pieces of paper, a scowl on his face. Eleanor was beside him, the faintest of pouts on her usually expressionless face as she presumably argued with him in a soft tone.

''Just rest for a little bit'' She murmured, sparing the new arrivals all but a glance.

''Rest is just delaying the inevitable'' He retorted for what must be the hundredth time judging from Eleanor's exasperated look.

Risa turned to the two other teens, a sly smirk making its way onto her face as she held up a finger in sign to wait. She strutted over to him, murmuring something the other two boys couldn't hear. Eien grumbled something back and shook his head, which only made Risa's smirk grow. She spun him around to face her and crashed her lips against his, making his expression turn to one of stunned surprise, even Eleanor blushed at the act. Risa broke off a moment later, a faint tint of pink on her cheeks as she gave a proud grin, shoving him into him chair and pulling duct-tape from thin air and tying him down in all of two seconds.

''And that, Eleanor, is how you subdue any human being'' Risa said proudly, strutting out the door and passing the two stunned teens, giving a passing wink at Jaune who once again got inappropriate thoughts in his head.

After a few moments, Eien broke the silence with a sigh ''I hope she knows I can just destroy these bindings...''.

''Its the thought that counts...?'' Eleanor said, tilting her head uncertainly ''I'll go keep an eye on her''.

''Mm'' Eien grunted, spinning on his chair to look at Ren and Jaune ''Apologies for the delay, but it appears my Spirits aren't particularly happy with me spending multiple hours working through all these documents''.

''I can agree with them on that'' Ren nodded as the tape on Eien just turned to ash ''What is it that you needed us for?''.

Eien sighed again, running a hand over his face ''I'll start with the thing I know the most about, Ren... the Shé wǔ''.

Ren tensed, an inkling of fear running down his spine ''How do you know about that?''.

''Research. These documents are from a company that has committed many atrocities, including being the ones to apparently kill and capture members from the Lie clan'' Eien said quietly, looking Ren in the eye ''None survived, nor were successful in learning about it... and there is the chance they might come for you to learn it''.

''I only have minimal knowledge about it'' He stated with a dark frown.

''That does not appear to matter to them, sadly'' Eien shook his head ''However I have be able to procure this knowledge myself and can hand it over to you, if you can read the ancient dialect that is''.

''I am capable'' He nodded, prompting Eien to hum and nod, reaching inside his ever-present cloak and pull out an old, worn leather book. He handed it over to Ren, who nodded thankfully and opened the book with care, staring at the various symbols, reading.

''The reason I called you here, Jaune, is because your own family may be in danger from the same company'' Eien informed, staring at the stunned teen ''Do you have any brothers? Sisters?''.

''Seven sisters, no brothers''.

''I see. That means you and one of your sisters are in danger then'' He hummed ''Have any of your sisters been acting odd in the past few years? Maybe being forgetful? Anything?''.

Jaune took on a thoughtful look, before he uneasily nodded ''My older sister Cotton has been unwell for a year or so, the doctors say they don't know what it is. She throws up a lot, but she's been getting better over the past month''.

''I see'' Eien nodded ''I think it would be wise for us to take a visit to your family then, Jaune, encase this illness has something to do with the company''.

''Sure'' He shrugged ''When?''.

''How about tomorrow?''.

''I can do that'' Jaune smiled, slightly enthused to see his family again.

''Mm, I'll try and get whatever other information I can'' Eien murmured to both of them ''I wish you luck on that, Ren''.

Ren nodded ''Thank you... how did you find this though''.

Eien smiled slightly ''Found it in the archives inside Death's soul, belonged and written by one of your clan members and he took it to the grave with him, so I was able to reconstruct it with my Semblance. Now then, you can talk to Risa and she can make a portal for you to return to your dorm''.

Ren nodded his sincere thanks, leaving the room. A silent, questioning look from Jaune was met by a dismissive wave as Eien turned back to his work, frowning and searching through it. Jaune turned and followed Ren, neither having to go very far to find Risa, since she was leaning against the wall a few feet from the door, Eleanor disappearing down the hall.

''You guys heading back?'' She asked, smirking. When they nodded she snapped her fingers, causing the air to shatter next to her, the ominous look of the shattered portal not entirely lost on the two hunters in training. Ren went ahead, nodding his thanks and cradling the book to his chest like it depending on his life, disappearing into the blackness of the portal. Jaune made to follow, but was pulled aside by Risa and pressed up against the wall, Risa preventing his exit and getting uncomfortably close to him.

''Have you decided to take up my offer, Jaune?'' She purred, pressing her body up against him as she did.

''Wha-'' He stumbled out with a blush, only for his mouth to be occupied before he could finish by Risa, her lips locked onto his and her tongue dancing in his mouth before she pulled back.

''C'mon, it doesn't have to be anything personal... call it stress relief'' She convinced with a silver tongue, cupping his cheek ''I promise I'll be gentle...''.

Unsure and feeling slightly turned on from her subtle touches, he wasn't entirely against the idea. It didn't mean he was wanting to just go off with her, a random girl he barely knew, but the way she said it... it sounded... nice. His vision was momentarily obscured by black, which was enough to make him a little worried, until the darkness melted away from his vision, but his location had changed.

Gone was the large mansion hallway, in its place was a small, comfy bedroom. The walls were a dull lilac with black spots, the carpet a simple but fluffy grey. The bed was a double, with purple covers and puffy pillows. He was standing at the edge of the bed before he was spun around to face Risa before her lips crashed against his once again, the sweet addictive feeling of her lips making his stomach twist. She broke the kiss, pushing him onto the bed, idly noting his armour was now on the floor, as was Crocea Mors.

''Mm... you taste nice'' She slyly smiled, licking her lips. A sudden burst of heat overtook his body and he bolted up, crashing his lips against hers, surprising her, but not displeasing her. When he was sitting down she stood at a little taller than him, given her short stature. They broke the kiss, panting slightly as Risa grinned at him.

''Good~'' She purred delightfully as her lithe hand came up to fondle the zipper of her hoodie, slowly pulling it down, Jaune's eye tracking it. With a metallic click it reached the bottom to her jumper, opening it up and revealing the red high-collar beneath it. She shrugged out of it, letting it hit the floor as she tilted her head at him, smiling with an ever-present sly look.

''Aren't you gonna help me out of this?''.

* * *

Back in the JNPR Dorm...

''Should we be worried about Jaune-Jaune?'' Nora asked, slouching on her bed with a sandwich in her mouth.

Ren considered it. While his life was almost most certainly not in danger, there was the chance his virtue was if Risa's attitude was not just mere teasing. Regardless, Jaune was a man and a leader, he could make his own decisions.

The fact that he didn't' want to invoke Pyrrha's wrath may have also been a deciding factor.

* * *

Some time had passed since they had finished, in more ways than one. Risa, for all her snake-like nature and teasing, was surprisingly cuddly when she wanted to be. Despite that, she had been quick to become active again, having a shower and getting redressed before letting him have his turn at it. Only then, after making sure it was completely unidentifiable to any Faunus that their activity remained secret, did they leave Eien's little world and return to the real world, or more specifically, his dorm room.

''Hey guys'' I smiled after scaring the living daylights out of them with the weird portal that Risa made.

''Jaune! Where have you been?'' Pyrrha asked, slight concern in her tone.

''Eheh, sorry'' I smiled apologetically at her worry ''Risa wanted to see how strong I was since I had dealt a lot of damage to Aria when we fought her, so we ended up sparring for a bit''.

''Twice'' Risa said dryly, carrying on the lie better than I could've ''We fought twice, the rest of the time was him resting - granted our second fight was more of a game of hide and seek, but you know''.

''I tried'' I huffed defensively, keeping up the act.

''Yeah, yeah'' She rolled her ruby eyes, before pausing, staring into space for several seconds before sighing ''Sorry, Eien's calling me for something, catch you guys later''.

''Bye~'' Nora sang while I gave a smile and nod. Risa gave a similar goodbye before disappearing into the portal, the fracture in the air repairing itself before fading from reality.

''So, what did Eien want you for?'' Pyrrha asked, sitting on her bed.

''...Stuff'' I shrugged, sharing a look with Ren ''Something to do with family, me and Eien are going to visit them tomorrow''.

''Is something wrong?'' She frowned, Nora and Ren listening in a little, even though the latter had been present at the time.

''Maybe, we don't know yet'' I dismissed ''But Risa said that Eien might be planning on going to Atlas soon, something related to the situation''.

''Hopefully this blows over soon'' Ren said, his voice containing less emotion than usual.

''Yeah, I hear you''.

* * *

The elevator dinged open as it reached the top of the tower, Ozpin sitting in his chair as always, looking out the window. My mother was leaning against the wall next to the window, staring out of it, Summer nowhere in sight - likely with Ruby. I walked over to them, sitting on a chair since I couldn't be bothered standing.

''Where did Roman go?'' I asked questioning, mildly concerned for the thief I now had under my employ, if you wanted to call it that.

''I sent him away on a Bullhead shortly after you left, he should be somewhere in Vale, alive and well'' Ozpin informed and I nodded. Roman, despite being something that Huntsmen such as me and Ozpin should capture, was a man who was valuable. Not only did he have many contacts, he was a skilled fighter with huntsman training. If I kept ties strong, I could pull some strings and get him to assist in future endeavours.

''What did you find?'' My mother asked, her tone serious.

''The SDC is definitely responsible, and the project, known as Project Helix, was authorised by Shiro Schnee himself nine years ago. The goal of the project was to combine Humans and Dust to create a group of super-powerful humans to serve Atlas. However throughout testing they have been unsuccessful according to the documents. My theory is that they are not meshing the Soul and Dust properly, instead forcing it to combine and resulting in death or malformation. They attempted something similar, but with Grimm Essence, which resulted in the severe mutations''.

''They abducted civilians, criminals and other members of society as test subjects. After research was done and a few months had past, they started going after families with unique genes in them, such as the Arc's and the Lie's. According to the documents, the families had special techniques or fighting arts that were kept exclusive to the clan members, the Lie's having an art called the Shé wǔ, translated it means Serpent Dance. I didn't get much chance to read it, but from skimming it over it seemed to be a very powerful fighting style, similar to what Ren currently uses but better in every aspects''.

''There is also the issue of the 'Shades' which I asked about'' I said, frowning at the thought ''The Shades... a codename and old, forgotten name for the Belladonna Family''.

''You have a Belladonna on your team, don't you?'' Marisol asked, looking at me from the corner of her eye.

''Blake Belladonna, Ex-White Fang, Cat Faunus'' I listed off the major traits I knew of my friend ''Despite her bad past she's got a good heart, but hasn't shown any signs of abnormal abilities that you mentioned, Ozpin''.

''It is unlikely they have manifested prior to now, but with her frequent proximity to you it is likely to awaken it soon'' Ozpin replied calmly ''Miss Rose - Ruby Rose - is also likely to gain access to her... unique ability rather soon also''.

I chuckled in amusement ''I feel like that statement is a little late''.

He looked perplexed, before nodding understandingly ''Ah. I see''.

''So, what's the plan?'' I asked, looking between my two known family members. Ozpin hummed, massaging his cup as he thought, before nodding to himself.

''We'll use the plan you made up; We'll move in two days, since you are occupied tomorrow. You, Marisol, Summer and Miss Belladonna will sneak in through the roof. With you and Marisol's SchattenSchritt it should be easy to sneak inside. Miss Schnee, Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long on the other hand will enter through the main entrance on the premise of visiting Mr Schnee, with Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long accompanying her in place of body guards''.

''When you are inside you are to find and _neutralise_ Mr. Schnee, I will trust your judgement on his fate, as we have a net set up encase of his death. Search the laboratory within the compound, though do try and keep it quiet. I will contact General Ironwood encase you are captured, therefore allowing you freedom from any presumed crimes''.

''But, until then, I can only suggest you prepare'' He warned and I nodded.

''I intend to''.

* * *

As they had agreed on, Jaune and myself had left Beacon to go to the Arc household. We could've travelled directly with my own Bullhead, but the weather was nice and Jaune suggested just a nice, causal walk through the sunny streets of Vale. The household was in northern Vale in the more richer districts, since the Arc family was quite infamous, and was a fair distance away from Beacon, though we were just coming up the street now.

Still, didn't mean I couldn't spend that time doing something efficient. Like reading a book. Without holding it.

Jaune gave me an exasperated look as the small leather book floated a foot or two in front of my face ''Is it really necessary for you to do... _that_?''.

''Of course'' I nodded, not taking my eyes off the book ''By displaying that I am powerful enough to freely use my powers it shows confidence and that I would be more than capable of fighting at the drop of a penny, which would ward off potential opponents who would go for smaller fish and also remember me in future, targeting me when they are stronger and thus allowing me to remove valid threats. Plus, this book contains important information''.

''...I think you're overthinking things'' He drawled dryly and I shrugged, my whole body concealed within my cloak even as we walked.

''Maybe, but its better to be cautious and alive than remorseful and dead''.

Jaune just sighed ''Well when you put it that way...''.

''Big bro!'' A high-pitched, childish voice cried. We had actually moved to the Arc Household, standing outside, and Jaune hadn't been aware it seems - or at least too deep in thought. Despite the fact the book was floating in front of me and I was actually reading it, my senses were alert enough to pick up the new presence long before they spoke.

Said presence was a younger girl with blonde hair tied up into a high ponytail behind her, the signature sapphire-blue eyes present. She must not have been in any kind of school at the moment, as she was only wearing an orange short-sleeve shirt and some knee-length green shorts. Given the dirt on her she must've been enjoying the weather. She was only about thirteen or so in appearance, but then again Ruby was sixteen and she still looked a year or two younger than her appearance suggested.

''Hey Daisy'' Jaune smiled as the girl tackled him, though he didn't fall to his credit ''How have you been?''.

''Good, what 'bout you?''.

''Just dandy'' Jaune remarked amusedly ''Is Mom and Dad home?''.

''Mm!'' She nodded enthusiastically before noticing me ''Who's this?''.

Remembering me, Jaune smiled, waving a hand between us ''Eien, this is my sister Daisy. Daisy, this is my friend Eien''.

''Hello'' I smiled, nodding slightly in greeting.

''Are you two on a team?'' Daisy asked curiously, looking at the floating book but not commenting on it.

''No, we're on neighbouring teams though'' I explained briefly before adding ''Though we're both the leaders of our teams''.

''Cool!'' She smiled, following her brother when Jaune began to walk towards the house, with me a step or two behind him encase anyone else tries to tackle him. Not to help of course, but so I wouldn't get caught in it.

As we walked towards the door I felt the sense of being watched, my senses prickling and my Aura naturally rising. Yet I could tell no immediate attack was coming, so I forced my Aura to remain at ease, lest I give this advantage away. It might've been a civilian or maybe even someone looking at me from their window, but even if it was then it was a good idea to keep my senses alert. Ozpin had taught me a spell not long ago, on the first day of our erratically-timed training, which was named Ping. As its named suggested, it released a ping of Aura that would travel a certain distance before coming back to me, alerting me of all living beings within the radius.

Problem being, it wasn't a subtle technique. It was probably the exact opposite, since I fired a beam of orange energy into the air and a ping soared out through the sky before coming back to me. It was not subtle in any regard. Because of that, I remained visibly calm and followed after Jaune as the Arc male followed his younger sister, who in turn led us into the backyard. It was a large, flat plain of grass with high walls on all sides. Trees were dotted about, some with slash marks, while there were also metal training dummies with more severe markings.

''Jaune!'' A chorus of three voices called out before three bodies crashed into the male Arc, sending him to the ground. Daisy giggled, looking on cheerfully. My smile remained, both for appearances and because I found the act amusing, though I did shift the gravity of the book to the side, making it float off to the left-side of my vision, moving with my head. Aside from the three girls now hugging and giggling with their brother, I took idle notice of the two elder people within the garden, likely his father and mother if their age and appearance was anything to go by.

The fatherly-looking one of the two was a very large man, probably 6'6 in height with messy light-blonde hair, stark blue eyes identical to Jaune's. He was wearing just a simple yellow shirt and jeans, but he did have a large broadsword over his back, likely encase anything bad was to happen. The mother of the duo was more different in appearance, having long brown hair and emerald green eyes, she looked similar to Natasha, but was different in multiple aspects. She was wearing a white shirt with a green cardigan that was left open, along with a simple brown skirt. Both looked to be relaxing today since they were mostly unarmed.

''Jaune, What are you doing home?'' The mother of the two called, both of them in the shade of the building.

''Hi mom'' Jaune smiled, confirming my guess ''Well there was a bit of an explosion at Beacon and the classrooms were damaged, so they're doing repairs and all students have the day off, so I thought I'd come by and check up on you guys - my friend, Eien, came along because he was bored''.

''Hello'' I waved idly, finding someone in front of me in a heartbeat, one of the sisters judging from looks. She was probably our age if not a year or two older, with signature blonde hair, though it war brushed in a way that her fringe curled and partially covered her right eye, the rest curling in slightly and not passing her shoulders. Unlike the others she was wearing a navy-blue hoodie with a red shirt peeking out underneath, a pair of green jeans and black shoes.

She seemed slightly surprised when I met her eyes, and in less than half a second she was leaning against the wall, leaving me to momentarily stare at the ground below me. When I looked up at the family none seemed to have noticed any difference or change, leading me to believe it might be a speed or teleportation Semblance.

''I'm Violet'' She said, nodding slightly, eyes boring into my own with surprise lingering within.

''Eien'' I introduced politely, nodding slightly as Jaune was besieged by two other sisters who were of equal, if not slightly older than Violet, all of them laughing. I entertained myself by reading my book, which slowly helped add to the knowledge I was gaining on the family.

They messed around for a bit before Jaune spoke, looking at his parents ''How's Cotton been?''.

His mother frowned sadly ''Her condition has declined again''.

''What? Why?'' Jaune said in mild surprise.

''We don't know, we think it might be the heat the past few days'' She shrugged ''She's been having more of those nightmares too...''.

I hummed quietly to myself, so quiet only Violet and Jaune heard. Jaune took the subtle signal and perked up ''Eien might be able to help her''.

''Really?'' Violet said, her tone half suspicious and half surprised.

''Potentially'' I commented ''I'm quite advanced in Soul Manipulation, so I might be able to find out what's wrong and possibly treat it''.

The fatherly Arc hummed, looking at me curiously ''Soul Manipulation? Haven't heard that in... a long time''.

''Well it is a rare skill, if I remember correctly'' I smiled with mild amusement, the book floating next to me smacking shut before floating close to me, allowing my hand to come out of my cloak and pull it in, a transdimensional Sigil forming and allowing me to deposit it back into my own soul. Appearances are everything after all ''If it isn't an inconvenience either, I would like to talk in private with you, Ms and Mr Arc''.

''...Sure'' The father nodded somewhat uncertainly, but it was likely more of my odd nature opposed to natural hesitance. Smiling, I followed after the man as he walked into the house with Ms Arc behind him. The sisters outside didn't really seem bothered, resolving to talk with Jaune, but I could feel the glances on me, especially from Violet. The parents of the family led me into the kitchen, which was a rather large one compared to the average ones I've seen. They sat at the large table and gestured for me to sit, which I did with a polite nod.

''So, why did you want to talk to us?'' The man asked.

''I'm here in Ozpin's place, since his presence would draw unnecessary attention'' I started off, my senses still alert ''The reason of my visit relates to the offers to live in Atlas that has been given to you over the past few years; they were a trick. A company that I believe would be best left unnamed for now is responsible for the deaths of many Humans and Faunus alike, killing them during the process of sick and twisted experiments. Around a couple years ago they began kidnapping multiple different families and clans because of unique genes within them or ancient arts that the family or clan knew''.

''One such family, is the Arc Family'' I said pointedly ''From the documents I have procured from their research team, they seem to believe Jaune and one of your daughters is in possession of this unique gene, and given your mention of nightmares, it is likely to be the sister Cotton''.

''And how do you know all this?'' Mr. Arc asked, prompting me to created another transdimensional Sigil and retrieve the book that I had been reading, one that detailed the Arc gene titled 'Maudit', which roughly translated into Cursed One from an old language.

''From a book I have acquired from my Teacher's Library, written by Nicholas Arc 800 years prior'' I explained as the mother of the duo skipped through a few pages calmly, nodding slightly ''I acquired it after the documents informed that the company had attempted to get you to move to Atlas in an attempt to have easier access to your children, likely kidnap them. Also, I believe we may be being observed at this moment, but I cannot be sure''.

''I see'' The man nodded with a troubled frown ''Do you know who is watching us?''.

''No, but I'll check...'' I said, voice dropping to a murmur as I extended my hand to the side where some free space was ''Risa''.

Barely needing a prompt after me calling on her so often, my little snake of a Spirit rose from the greyed Sigil, dressed in her ever-present hoodie. Given the serious nature of the situation, one would expect her to be equally as serious, though that only applied to a degree since she was such a... free spirit, pun intended. Regardless, she just gave me a slight smirk, before directing her gaze at the slightly stunned parent duo.

''I'll go check the area out'' She offered freely, tapping into her Semblance and flaking away into invisibility, the door opening and closing of its own volition, to the outside perspective.

''Risa will take care of observation, likely will alert me if she finds them'' I explained ''Now, should we move onto the main purpose of my visit, to attempt to heal Cotton?''.

''Yes, I'll take you there'' The wife said, getting up while the man continued to read the book. I didn't mind, since I could technically get another, but I was a little wary of it falling into the wrong hands, making a mental note to pick it up before I leave. I followed the woman, letting her lead me through to the living room and up the stairs. Only then did I begin to speak again.

''I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?'' I asked politely.

The woman immediately flushed a little ''Oh, sorry! I'm Juniper, and my husband is John''.

''John and Jaune, huh?'' I said in mild amusement, getting a laugh from the woman.

''Yeah, its been sort of a private joke between us for a while'' She laughed good-naturedly ''If I remember, my son's team is named the same as me too''.

''I can imagine Ozpin taking amusement in naming the teams this year, given my team is called 'A Ruby' - and my partner is called Ruby'' I said with smiled. Juniper led me down a hall until we reached a door with the name 'Cotton' on the white door in rainbow letters. Juniper opened the door, revealing the very artsy room to me. The walls were a light blue, getting darker the higher they went up, white clouds painted across it with the occasional bird or plane on it. The carpet was a very grass-like in appearance, along with being a shade of green.

The bed was a pretty oak brown with a green blanket, giving it a style of a tree in colouration. There were other pieces of furniture in the room, which I mostly skimmed over, but did take note of the many pieces of paper and drawings and literature dotted around the bed, along with the large window opposite the bed. The person in the tree-like bed troubled me slightly in terms of appearance. The woman, who looked about twenty or so, was unhealthily skinny with pale skin, brown-blonde hair kept in a high ponytail behind her. She was wearing what looked like a blue tank top, the rest of her form concealed beneath the blanket.

She was reading a book when we came in, looking up curiously with sapphire blue eyes ''Hm? Mom? What is it?''.

''Hey sweetie, Jaune's friend here wishes to speak with you'' Juniper said, basically leaving it to me to handle the situation, the reason why was unknown.

''Hello, I'm Eien'' I smiled, waving politely.

''I'm Cotton'' The sickly girl smiled politely, yet looked a little nervous ''So, um, what did you want to talk to me about?''.

''Well, to be relatively to-the-point, its about your illness and, by extension, the nightmares'' I explained and she froze up a little.

''Um... w-what do you want to k-know?'' She asked, stuttering slightly and looking even more nervous, glancing at her mother beside me every two seconds.

I hummed, staring into her nervous blue orbs ''If its no trouble, please enlighten me about these nightmares you experience''.

Swallowing audibly, she seemed to draw out the silence as she gripped the cover of her bed repeatedly, biting her lip over and over again before she spoke. I swore I felt a prick at my senses then, but I decided to let it play out since Risa was capable of sensing them if I was.

''Well... I'm always in different places, sometimes I'm home, others I'm at the park I used to go to... b-but there's always this... _m-monster_ that's just so... so _evil_ '' She explained shakily, breathing deeply ''I never get a good look but its always got long claws... like a demon from all those stories mom used to tell me about''.

''I see'' I nodded slightly ''What of your condition? Do you have any ideas what may have started this?''.

''Um... no'' She shook her head slightly

''Are you on any medication?'' I asked, prompting her to shake her head again ''Have you been interacting with any suspicious people? Felt funny when going outside or when the window was open? Anything that may have been prompted to cause the illness?''.

''I don't think so...'' She denied softly before asking ''Are you a doctor?''.

''Something like that'' I chuckled, holding my hand out in front of my ''Now, lets see what the problem is...''.

I extended an invisible tendril of Aura, connecting it to Cotton and replicating her soul in a sense. I manifested it in my open palm, revealing it to be a nice ivory colour, but with a large black blob on the top, giving it a pseudo-monochrome look. That was probably the curse, given the details within the book, but something concerning was the pulsating tendrils extended from it, cascading down randomly across her spherical soul. The black, tainted part of her soul gave off an eerie vibe, akin to an old rickety mansion; you don't know why, but it just feels wrong.

''What's that?'' Cotton asked, sounding awed.

''You're soul, or rather a manifested form of it'' I explained with a light smile ''From the feeling I'm getting from it, I believe I can identify that the source of your illness is the tainted part of your soul...''.

I paused, looking at Juniper as if for permission to say it. She hesitated a little, but conceded with a nod.

''...The tainted part of your soul is because of a family curse, of sorts. Its called 'Maudit', roughly translating into 'Cursed One', and is the reason you're in this state if my suspicion is correct''.

''Is there anything you can do about it?'' Cotton asked, her tone not as scared as I thought but more... unsure, as if she was pondering on selling a precious item and wasn't sure if the money was worth it. An unusual, but adequate analogy in my opinion.

''Potentially'' I said evenly, looking out the window ''There are various options I can try; removing it entirely, finding a way to ease it, alter it to potentially benefit you opposed to harm you, things such as that''.

''Really?'' She asked, hopeful sounding. Again, I gave a questioning look at Juniper, since I didn't want to do anything without her consent, since I _was_ technically interfering in a familial matter of sorts.

''Even if it only helps her a little, any assistance would be greatly appreciated'' She informed me, nodding. I returned the gesture, approaching Cotton and placing a hand on her head.

''It'll be relatively painless, but you may feel some discomfort, maybe a tingling on your skin or watering in your eyes, simple things like that'' I assured/warned as I extended multiple invisible tendrils of my Dunkelheit-enhanced Aura, slithering them around her soul, phasing through her body and leaving only a tingling feeling. The tendrils grew smaller, claw-like extensions before digging in, making Cotton flinch a little. The extension pulled back, slowly at first, before being more forceful as it tried to pry the onyx-black sludge off.

It took about three minutes, gradually putting a strain on my Aura from continuously utilising the full extend of Aura Construction and my Dunkelheit. Eventually however the darkness was pried off, instead it latched onto my own Aura, fading into it. I felt a ripple on my own soul, as if someone had punched my in the balls, and while it hurt, I just grit my teeth and let it pass. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like a few minutes, and when it was over my legs gave out as the shock numbed my body slightly. I was able to catch myself before I fell clumsily, but I did still fall to one knee, panting.

''A-Are you alright?'' Cotton asked, leaning over me slightly from her bed.

I nodded faintly ''Y-Yeah... just exerted a lot of Aura is all''.

''Did it work?'' Juniper asked, giving me a slightly concerned look.

I glanced up at Cotton, who was already showing signs of being in better health even after a few seconds - not noticeable to the naked eye, but her soul was already beginning to produce Aura to make up for lost time, healing and strengthening her, however slight.

''Yeah... her Aura is starting up again, I'm willing to wager she might even be fully recovered by the end of the week, if not in a few days'' I explained, before I was suddenly pulled into a hug, courtesy of Cotton.

''Thank you...'' She murmured, voice soft as her voice watered ''Thank you''.

* * *

The backdoor to the Arc Family home opened, creaking open dramatically and drawing the eyes of all the Arcs, which widened upon seeing who was behind the door. Now dressed in a long white, sleeveless dress and sun hat, Cotton stood smiling in the doorway, taking a few steps out onto the soft grass, marvelling at the garden around her.

''Hello'' She smiled gently.

''Cotton?'' John was the first to speak ''Shouldn't you be in bed?''.

She shook her head gently ''Actually dad, I'm fine now... Eien healed me''.

''Really?'' John asked, surprised that Jaune had been truthful about his friends ability to heal.

''Indeed'' Eien smiled as he exited the house ''Apologies for taking so long, we were having a nice chat for the past... forty minutes''.

''Yes, Eien certainly has some interesting stories to tell'' Cotton smiled peacefully, but with gentle excitement ''Did you know he can _make_ living beings? Like actual people? It was certainly pleasant to meet them all''.

''They're equally glad to have made a new friend'' Eien smiled ''Unfortunately I must take my leave now, as my team needs to prepare for a forthcoming mission. I wish you well, Cotton and Co. See you back at Beacon Jaune, Risa sends her regards''.

Blushing and abruptly stammering, Jaune mumbled out a goodbye until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, a body pressed against his back. Risa grinned widely, winking at the family before leaning near to Jaune's ear.

''Bye-Bye Jauney~'' Risa sang in his ear before she vanished into a Sigil, leaving Jaune embarrassed under the stares of his family, Eien having used the distraction to vanish himself with SchattenSchritt. The silence left in the wake was a little off-putting to Jaune, as all his family continued to stare at him with a suspicious look.

''Honey'' Juniper smiled with a saccharine-sweet voice ''How do you know her?''.

''She's uh... a friend?'' He said in a small voice as Juniper began converging on him, a overly sweet smile on her face ''Dad...!''.

John took only one step before Juniper smiled back at him, making him pale and begin backtracking into the house.

''Sorry son, you're on your own'' He called as he locked the door, leaving his son to the metaphorical wolves.

Mothers could be scary when needed, especially when another woman was involved.

* * *

Night fell rather quickly that night, but maybe it was just my perspective. I guess I hadn't been the same since yesterday, given that _every_ member of my team was giving my concerned looks even though I wasn't doing anything outside the norm. That wasn't helped when Jaune also spoke to me in private, concerned that the transaction I performed on his sister was taking an unexpected toll on me, but I dismissed such theories quickly. It wasn't difficult to find some air to breath, leaving in the middle of the night to rest upon the top of Beacon's tallest tower.

The night air was nippy, but given that I had an Aura, the bitterness and reduced oxygen was effectively negated. The cold air helped clear my fluctuating mind, though I was careful not to lose control of my Aura - someone who was adept at either Aura Sensing or Aura in general would notice and investigate, hell if I unleashed the full might of my power it'd reverse gravity, potentially bringing the tower down if it was strong enough.

It was becoming too much now, even I could see that. I was quite introspective, and I knew my problems needed to be dealt with soon... but my options were severely limited, unfortunately. I can't tell my team, my friends, teachers or acquaintances... the only person who had even a chance of fully understanding was Ozpin, but he had enough on his plate as it was and I didn't want to bother him when I could possibly fix it myself.

Cinder... it was like a knife, even now. I failed in gaining another asset, another ally, another friend. Her presence might've meant saving many lives when the time comes, who in turn will go on to save lives themselves, and the chain effect continues. Even if she only ended up saving one person, that person could go on to save hundreds, if not thousands of people who could become hunters. She knew. She knew about Life and Death, even if she didn't say so. She knew of reincarnation, and there was the potential in her future life she could be friends with me. She had come to fight me, not to win and kill me, but _to die_. She knew she'd die, and was willing to do so, even though she could've done so much more if she merely ran and escaped.

But she didn't. She stayed and fought, knowing that she would lose, and she did so without giving me a serious injury - she only scored a single hit, and even then it was more of a lucky shot. The worst part was I couldn't decide if I was just that much stronger than her - a Half-Maiden! - or if she was just so low on Aura that she couldn't summon a strong enough attack to actually wound me. Amber had died fighting, and rested within my own soul, adjusting with the help of Neo, her fellow trapped soul.

I was no more than a prison, in that regard. I captured souls, created them for my own purpose, forcing them to do my own bidding. No, I wasn't forcing them, but they felt obligated to. It like Hunters and Grimm; they are obligated to attack the other, lest they be shunned by their fellow species. My Spirits were the same in a way, that they were obligated to fulfil my orders on the sole basis that I had created them, so they didn't exactly want to deny their creators orders. They had done in the past, but it was mostly because they either had something important that prevented them from doing so, or that they were putting it off for a few hours to commence it then.

...What of Salem? She was powerful, so much so that the power of Death's Mark didn't affect her in the slightest, but I'm _leagues_ stronger now than I was a year ago, strong enough to rival an A-Rank Hunter, potentially an S-Rank given time. Seraphim said Salem created her... does that mean that she was the same as me? Did she somehow have the same knowledge as me to be able to create souls? If so, how? She wasn't a Haizen, to my knowledge, so how?

That wasn't even speaking of what use Seele Ernten on Cinder and Amber had done.

I sigh/groan ''This will get me nowhere... It'll have to wait until later''.

''And hopefully, the future will wait for me''.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for this being a day late, I've been reading The Games We Play for the past few days. For those who look for it on , I suggest searching for it on SpaceBattles forums, since the full story is up there and is roughly over 1m words! Its an excellent work of art that shows a lot of dedication, so I advise reading it.**

 **Hopefully the chapter was alright, it was more of an interlude than anything. Its now revealed that Eien isn't the only one with a unique power, that Blake, Ren, and Jaune all have something similar. Will others be revealed? Maybe, maybe not.**

 **Eien's having a little more stress, slowly whittling away at his patient mind. Subtle hints are dotted around to elude to future events, as I have done in the past with hinting at Silver eyes back in Mistral, which was Summer. The attack on the SDC will be next chapter. Also, for translations;**

 **Shé wǔ** **= Serpent Dance (Chinese)**

 **Maudit = Cursed One (French)**

 **Also as an additional note; HAHA! I SUNK THE ARKOS SHIP~! (Partially).**


	21. Chapter 21: Falling Snow

**A/N: Apologies for the delay, more connectivity problems have been sent my way, making it either impossible to connect or impossible to write. However during the times where I could write, I found it hard to. You'll be able to see through the chapter that its not as good as others, and that also may be because my mood has been a little sullen as of late and that produced a writers block, so yeah.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 21: Falling Snow**

* * *

The roar of the Bullhead engines was muted as the modified Bullhead flew over Atlas, heading towards the SDC Headquarters near the northern part of the city. Not far ahead was another Bullhead, containing Ruby, Weiss and Yang. It was already a few hundred feet ahead of them, its destination the helipad at the SDC Headquarters while ours was above the building itself. On our ship was Myself, Blake, Summer and Marisol, as planned. Raven and Qrow had originally been the ones to be chosen instead of the two Maidens, but in the end the two teachers remained at Beacon while the Maiden duo came with me. I wasn't present for the conversation, and I had no idea why they were coming instead of hunters who specialised in stealth, but it was Ozpin's call.

It had certainly been interesting meeting my mother, someone who couldn't exactly qualify for that role aside from blood relations. I wasn't upset with her for leaving, given her reasons, since the fact my father died because she had that power and refused to let me suffer the same, if not worse fate. Despite that, it felt so weird for her to be in the motherly role, and I could tell it was awkward for her too. A person can't exactly just walk out of nowhere and forge familial ties just because of blood. With people like Summer and Raven, their children had early memories of them that were good, precious times, and they longed to feel those days again.

I never had those good memories with my mother, as I had not seen her at all when I was a child, nor had I sensed her - though that was a can of worms all together. However, I was willing to try and form a bond with my mother, however fragile it will be. But that would have to wait, as more important things were needed to be done first.

''Drop in thirty seconds!'' The pilot called out and I nodded, even though he wouldn't see it.

''Everyone remember the plan?'' I asked, voice quieter than normal, as if it would carry through the metallic hull of the Bullhead and down into the streets below.

''Drop onto the roof, break in, beat up the bad guys?'' Summer summed up with a friendly smile ''Yup! A-Okay!''.

''Blake? Mom?'' I asked, getting nods from the duo ''Alright then...''.

We didn't have to wait long before the pilot informed us it was time, the side door sliding open. My mother led the jump, falling the twenty-something feet as the Bullhead did a dip before going high into the air to avoid suspicion and get further out of range. My Aura soaked up the kinetic force of the impact, making nothing more than a soft thud, as it did for Blake and Summer. All it took was a quick glance to find the ventilation shaft that Ozpin deemed the best point of entry. Sneaking over to it with the three girls shadowing me, I placed a hand on the metal, tapping into my own Semblance and disintegrating it with ease.

''Lets go'' I merely murmured, jumping down the vertical vent, my boots crashing into the other barrier and breaking through it, sending me into one of the many labs in the building. It was surprisingly empty, but it looked like someone had been in here recently, so the noise might've attracted attention. Blake, Marisol and Summer landed one after the other, not making a sound.

The door opened, an SDC Scientist taking a single step in before freezing. I thrust my palm forward, unleashing a small Force Sigil, the force directed at his head and the blunt trauma knocking him out, likely causing some internal damages, but I cared little for them. Gin and Juha spawned beside me, both wielding their respective swords.

Time to get down to business.

* * *

It was easy to get past the security gates, as I was the heiress of the company and widely known as Weiss Schnee, so any checks were relatively light. Yang and Ruby got a bit more of an extensive search, but not to the point where it might be considered invasive. Still, it held us up a minute or two in doing so, but I may have been able to hasten the process by showing an excess of irritation towards the guards. Sometimes little things like that was a gift opposed to a burden, but only rarely.

As it was, we were walking down the hall towards the grandeur room that looked more fitting in a house opposed to an extensive laboratory. I wasn't particularly eager to face my father, especially in light of all these horrific things he had apparently done, or at least authorised. It was... scary, in a sense. The fact her father had allowed his men to mutant and alter the souls of innocent people, all for some overarching goal that would never be considered a moral thing to do.

My lips thinned in... a myriad of emotions, really, all of them mixed and uncertainty lingering over them all with an unnerving intensity. I forced myself to calm down, unwilling to let this take advantage of me, to let my nerves get the better of me, a Schnee... a name I used to wear with pride, a pride that is now wilting.

 _'No!'_ I thought definitely, clenching my fists _'I_ will _restore honour to the name Schnee! Even if... even if I have to take it into my own hands'._

Immediately shoving that thought away in light of the potential of my actions, I stormed forward, Ruby and Yang keeping pace with me silently. We passed many people who quickly made way for me and my 'bodyguards', my father having likely been alerted to my presence the moment I stepped into the building. Through the training I had done over the past few months I could almost _sense_ the people around me, something I desired to recreate ever since Eien mentioned he was capable of it. As someone who avidly used Dust and Aura, it seemed prudent to do so.

Granted I was having a fair amount of difficulty with it, since detecting another's Aura without a specialised Semblance was like sensing someone by how their body moved the air; incredibly hard, but not impossible. I was making progress, but it was slow. Perhaps I could ask Marisol for some help, given that Eien seemed to be busy with an abundance of things he wasn't particularly willing to openly speak about. I was under no delusions that what my father had caused played at least some part in it.

Finally we reached the end of the hall, the room breaking off into a grand, large room that had a hallway to the right that led somewhere I didn't bother learning. To the right of the room was a staircase that led up to a balcony on the second floor, which in turn led down to another series of hallways that I never explored. At the moment however, my father stood at the top of the balcony, watching me impassively. He was dressed in his usual white business suit, bushy white moustache and brushed back white hair. He hadn't aged once in the past year, not that he could age much aside from wrinkle, but that wasn't a pleasant thought.

''Weiss'' He addressed, staring down at me ''I do hope you have a good reason for why you came all the way to Atlas on such short notice''.

''Yes, Father'' I nodded slightly ''I-''.

I was saved from delaying him as the wall to the right of us exploded, debris scattering around the room as a Spider Droid stumbled in, the front of its armour dented as if it had taken a blunt strike to it. Only a few seconds later a smiling Eien walked in, but at a glance I could tell the smile was dimmer than it usually was, perhaps the grimness of the situation has finally dawned on my cheerful leader.

''Hello Weiss, Ruby, Yang'' He greeted as Blake walked up beside him, looking no worse for ware, Marisol and Summer not being present ''...and Shiro Schnee''.

''And who might you be?'' My father intoned, narrowing his eyes. I had no delusions of Eien's strength, considering he had fought on equal terms with Ozpin and had a small army within his own soul, but I still felt responsible for this. He was my father, and even though the difference in strength was large, I would take this matter into my own hands.

The Spider Droid clanked loudly as its arms attempted to aim at Eien, but whatever had hit it had made doing so incredibly difficult. Eien cast what might be an apologetic look at the robot before flicking his wrist, his cheek glowing faintly as the robot was crushed by an invisible force and turned into a compact ball before being hurled at my father, who prompting dodged out of the way with a Glyph. The wall behind him was crushed as the ball of steel, prompting cries of pain from those on the other side of the wall.

''Eien'' Eien said simply, hands shifting under his cloak, presumably to his sword ''I happened to come across your facility in Western Mistral, and I can say I wasn't pleased with what I found, nor the fact you authorised this''.

''I see'' He only said, not moving ''And what do you intend to do now?''.

''Isn't it obvious?'' Eien remarked quietly, heterochromic eyes narrowing as the ground beneath my fathers feed cracked and shattered, but he paid it almost no mind as he leapt off a chunk of metal and stone, moving at a surprising speed at Eien, wielding his rapier, Heilig. Myrtenaster had been based off of it, as the two were relatively similar, but my blade was more suited to a fencing-oriented style while my father preferred a mix of jabs and slashes, hence the rapier.

He cleared the distance in less than a second, far too fast for any of us to react, sans Eien and Ruby. He barely paid attention to any of us sans Eien, as it was obvious to everyone in the room he was the strongest out of us. His rapier came down, but instead of slashing at the immobile Eien, it hit an invisible barrier, making a dull thud. A ripple spread out from the impact sight, coursing around Eien as the blockade revealed to be a grey-tinted shield, one I remember one of his Spirits using prior.

''I would be lying if I said that was amusing in any sense'' Eien intoned flatly even as my father gained distance between them ''Then again, given recent events and everything that's on my mind, things have become a little duller as of late. Regardless, you must pay for the crimes you have committed, and you are smart enough to know what I mean''.

His hand moved underneath his cloak, but I had seen the action enough to know he was reaching for his katana, so I made my decision ''Wait''.

Immediately he stopped the movement, turning his head slightly as if to look at me, but not enough that I could fully make out his face. I steeled my expression, taking slow, impressionable steps forward as I drew Myrtenaster out of its sheath.

''I'll fight him'' I said with a touch of bitterness at the prospect, but it was a responsibility that fell to me. Eien stared for a moment, unreadable, until he inclined his head in a barely-there nod.

''Very Well, I will catch up with you later'' He intoned, his wording eluding to the fact he _knew_ I would win ''Blake, Yang, Ruby. Come''.

Nodding, my three other teammates ran after our leader as he led them down the hallway, my father making no move to stop them. I waited until their footfalls disappeared down the hall, leaving us in relative silence, aside from the fire alarm in the background as something caught fire. Killed the mood a little.

I raised my blade, as did he.

Then as one, we moved.

* * *

I ran down the halls, leading my team towards where Ozpin had claimed the labs would be, or at least something that would lead to the labs. I felt two presences ahead, both of them on par with my team - aside from Ruby, since she had been training extensively more during her time in Death's soul. Still, I said nothing, leaving the two mysterious figures to let us walk into whatever trap they held for us - I was confident in my ability to counter it.

As we neared the set of double doors near the end of the hall, I slowed down, and in turn my team slowed down. Eventually I moved to a slow walk until I stopped completely, staring ahead.

''Do not waste our time by watching us'' I intoned, tapping into Jaeger's Semblance and destroying part of the pillar beside where they were hiding, exploding it and making the duo yelp in surprise, jumping out into the open; A boy and a girl. The male of the two was perhaps a few years older than Weiss, maybe in his mid-twenties. His white hair was shaved back much like Shiro's, wearing a teal coat with fur cuffs and collar, tipped up but still letting me see the dark blue undershirt beneath. He had ivory white gauntlets on his hands, spikes on the knuckles that looked sharp enough to give a Goliath a bit of trouble. His white pants were tucked into a pair of black boots, fur cuffs on the pants as well.

The female of the duo had long white hair that was held in a high ponytail behind her, unlike Weiss who had it to the side. Her flawless skin and faint blue eyes were that of a Schnee's, much like her male companion. She was wearing a dark blue vest and white fur coat over it, the coat left open. Her sense of fashion was very much akin to her partners, having the same white pants and black boots, except their weapons were different. Hers was a snow white bow with a quiver of teal arrows loaded on her back, all holding Teal Dust.

As the seconds passed, they regained their composure from my abrupt attack, cocky confidence on their faces, but also a trace of uncertainty.

''And who might you be?'' I mused questioningly.

''Himmel Schnee'' The male answered, head held high.

''Danika Schnee'' The female of the duo smiled, but not in a friendly manner.

''I see'' I intoned ''Yang, Blake. Deal with them''.

''Right'' Both grunted, charging at them. As they provided a distraction I grabbed Ruby by the arm, tapping into a SchattenSchritt and teleporting us ahead. I materialised on the other side of the door, letting Ruby go as we proceeded deeper into the SDC Headquarters.

''Will they be alright?'' Ruby murmured.

I smiled lightly ''Of course''.

* * *

A loud clang echoed as our blades me, recoiling me back before I landed on a Glyph, propelling me to the side and then forwards. My father didn't even move from his spot, raising his blade and blocking me and stopping my momentum with practical ease. I danced around him, trying to find a gap in his defence, but my father was a hunter - perhaps not a famous one, or even a particularly strong one, but a trained Huntsman all the same.

I switched the Dust Cartridge in Myrtenaster to Red Dust, swinging it and sending an arc of flames at him. He raised an eyebrow, as if barely amused by my attack, slashing it in half and sending what remained of the arc behind him, exploding into the wall. I summoned another set of Glyphs around him, letting me zoom around him at an incredible speed. I moved behind him and moved in, blade becoming alight with flames as I swung at his back, only for him to spin around and block my slash.

 _'Dammit!'_ I grit my teeth as I sped off, trying to find a weak point. My father was a Huntsman, and all Huntsman - even ones who had barely seen combat like my father - were strong, most of varying degree. But the fact he had blocked every attack so far without so much as moving, much less show signs of effort, was _beyond_ aggravating. She knew she wasn't up to far with him, but she expected to at least scores marks on him and push him to use the family Semblance. He hadn't seen combat in years, possibly decades!

...unless he had trained in secret. He couldn't of, logically, given he was the CEO of the most powerful non-militaristic/hunter company in the world. But even so, I remember times in my past where he had left for a day, coming back roughed up and looking like he had been fighting an Ursa bare-handed, yet when questioned just claimed it was a stressful meeting. Had he been actually training all this time, and if so, for what purpose? What over-arching goal had he planned by training on at least a weekly or bi-weekly basis. He might've just been keeping his skills sharp encase an assassin was sent his way, as it had in the past, but what if it was for a another reason? What if he had expected this, all of it?

He didn't have any future-seeing abilities, those kind of Semblances were incredibly rare. Perhaps he never intended for this immoral experimentation to go on forever, and expected to be hunted down for it. If that was the case, was he planning to run when it happened, or stand and die? There was a chance he could've bailed himself out.

So lost in thought, I was almost unable to see that he had decided to take the offensive, given his slight but meaningful change in posture. I noticed at the last moment, immediately backpedalling with the help of a Glyph as he lunged forward with a sharp slash before tailing after me. It spoke of how strong and adept he was at using his Semblance when he moved almost twice as fast as me. I raised my blade as the revolving chamber of dust turned, but not fast enough before his blade crashed into mine, the dust in it causing a furious explosion that sent me flying through the air until I managed to make a Glyph to stop myself.

I would've glared, had he not been less than five metres away and closing. With that short amount of distance all I could do was raise my blade, causing another explosion as I was sent airborne. Making a Glyph in the air I haphazardly swung Myrtenaster and sent a projectile of condensed ice dust, impacting into the ground at his feet, but he merely jumped back to avoid the resulting flower of ice. There was a brief lull in the battle, one that I used to... _relatively_ good use by glaring at my father as I reloaded my Dust chamber. I was admittedly running low on options, the prospect of myself fighting my father seemed preferable when Eien made it look so easy, but now I couldn't back down.

I had one trick in reserve that could work; Temporal Glyph. It was one that Winter had shown me last time I visited, back during the last semester break when it was more of an obligation to come home opposed to a preferable option. It did what the name implied; slowing or accelerating time within the range of the Glyph, the larger it was costing more Aura. It only affected the caster, so if I accelerated myself I could match my father in speed or ever surpass him, but the constant drain on my Aura would be taxing, especially since I never had large reserves like Eien or Jaune. That wasn't even talking about the cost of screwing up the Glyph. Sadly, it was my only option.

Taking a breath, more for a vote of confidence than anything, I raised my blade and drew upon my Aura. Keeping one eye on my father, I carefully weaved it through my blade as if it was a part of my body. It wasn't my actual Aura, but rather a manifestation of it, more akin to a reflection of a person in an analogical sense. I swung my blade, sending a dark green projectile through the air before it impacted the ground, summoning a large beige clock the size of the whole room, time accelerating for me as I zoomed towards my father.

He seemed surprised, but not enough so that it would be gratifying. I practically _hammered_ my blade against his, taking slight pride when the ground at his feet cracked from the sheer force behind my strike, and immediately used a Glyph to shoot towards the other side of the room. Summoning several Glyph's, I used them like a slide and kept my momentum as I did a U-turn back to my father, blade extended like a spear. He moved to the side, but I was moving too fast and clipped his side, cutting his suit and hurting his Aura. Confidence renewed, I repeated the act, moving fast as I could to make use of my Aura.

I dove in from an upwards-diagonal angle, piercing his shoulder without stopping. I did another U-turn and slashed at his side, curving up the side of the wall and then sliding low, slashing at his thigh. Slowly I whittled away at his Aura, even as my own was constantly drained by the effects of the Temporal Glyph. I swung around again, moving with my blade ready to pierced his side once more, following my strategy-

Until suddenly he grabbed me by the face as I was moving, stopping my momentum entirely and making me get whiplash as all my momentum and force snapped into my head, my Aura saving my life but making spots appear in my vision, to save nothing of the fingers partially covering my vision as he held my head with one hand. With a sudden amount of force, he _slammed_ me into the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs and making something in my back go _SNAP_ painfully loudly, to say nothing of the flames that coursed through my back. It was probably a rib or something, but you could never be sure.

It took me a moment to realise that I had actually been slammed a solid foot into the ground, something that made me acutely aware that not only had my father been _holding back massively_ but he also had insane strength. His hand left my face, probably deeming me an easy target at this point as he straightened up, looking down at me with _disappointment_.

''I won't kill you, I could never do that to my own child - Helga would never forgive me'' He said. His words may have seem kind in a sense, his tone was anything but ''However... I could simply remove an arm, force you to stay here since you could no longer pursue the life of a Huntress with the same effectiveness''.

My eyes widened at the threat ''You wouldn't''.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at me with disinterest ''I am aware that your _friend_ Eien is more than capable of restoring them... the question is if he can reach you to do so. I happen to have many safe houses which I could store you in, keep you safe''.

''Keep me safe?!'' I yelled, almost shrieked. I never liked my father, mainly for how apathetic he was to _everything_ , but also for the fact he had no issues sacrificing others in the name of business. Even so... he only spoke of me as an object, like a doll to keep safe! It was humiliating, horrifying, and beyond all that, insulting.

''Of course'' He smiled - _smiled_ ''I need my heir to be in top condition after all''.

I felt a cold feeling settle in my stomach as he snapped his fingers, two scarily familiar figures coming out from his shadow. Both dressed in suits with matching black hair and grey eyes were Dmitri and Ivan Babinski, my fathers right hand men. Like my father they were rather uncaring for almost everything, and I was acutely aware of how many dark things they had done in the past on my fathers orders, the murder of the former leader of the _good_ White Fang being the most prominent. They were assassins, businessmen, servants and everything in-between. Versatility was practically in their name.

''Take her to Safe House Omega'' My father ordered crisply, both men nodding silently as they approached. Desperately, I tried to lash out with Myrtenaster, but given I was a foot deep in solid concrete I could barely wiggle it free, and by that time they were by my sides. Ivan picked up the weapon by the blade, tearing it from my shaky grip and tossing it across the room carelessly. Both of them grabbed my shoulders and yanked me out, instantly setting fire to my nerves as I screamed in pain. I flailed like a child, I kicked my legs, I even tried spitting at them as they began to move, but they paid my struggle the same amount of care as a parent would a misbehaving child.

I knew of my fathers safe houses, places isolated so far into Remnant it would be impossible to find me. There was a chance - _a chance_ \- Eien could track me down with his sensing abilities, but to do so he'd have to scour all of Mantle, not to mention the prospect of them moving me. I wouldn't be able to escape once I was there, lest I either be killed be Beowolves or the harsh temperature. So I struggled, flailed and screaming, all but begging for assistance until-

 _SNAP!_ My arm went as Ivan _intentionally_ snapped it, making me shriek in pain and writhe less in an instinctive measure to lessen the pain. I felt a cold feeling flow through me as I caught sight of the Bullhead hovering outside the building, no doubt attracting attention from the workers. The cold feeling rushed through me, through my legs, along my arms and up my neck. Time seemed to slow, the world almost turning grey, sound stopping altogether until...

 _''Take care, my child''_ A voice of an eerily familiar person spoke in her ear as time suddenly resumed, and an explosion of power erupted from within me, expanding outwards like a sphere, knocking away Ivan and Dmitri roughly. A soft chime drew my attention, revealing the source of the soft song to be the necklace Eien had made for her over a year ago. It was the source of the shield and she felt her Aura rapidly restore itself, something she was surprised about, but did not question at the moment. I could ask later, for now I had a fight to win.

The cold feeling in my veins lingered and I held my hand out to the side, watching as wisps of teal-coloured energy spawned from thin air, forming into a clone of Myrtenaster. Behind me, a much larger version formed, one that was almost identical to the blade the Grimm Armour had used against me during my test. I paid it little mind, as if were a normal thing - and with someone like Eien around, it generally was classified as normal when he made living beings on a whim like it wasn't something extraordinary.

I glared at Dimitri and Ivan, two teal-colour Beowolves spawning beside me as the dome faded from existence, the necklace returning to normal. I did little else than give a mental whim, sending the two teal beings towards the assassins. Dismissing them from my thoughts, I turned my glare on my father, who looked shocked for the first time in his life. My back didn't hurt anymore, but my arm was still limp, meaning it hadn't healed even if the pain was almost unnoticeable.

Summoning a Glyph beneath me, I launched towards him, slashing at him before I even got into melee range. The large, ethereal clone behind me swung in tandem, crashing into the spot where my father stood. He scowled, blade glowing as the dust changed, but I didn't let him any reprieve as I swung again with my enlarged blade. He jumped, landing atop it and hopping off, dashing at me with his own Glyph. I danced to the side, idly noting my increase in reflexes and speed as I dodged his strike and delivered my own. Faux-Myrtenaster pierced his Aura, cutting into his arm and spilling blood, even if it was a small amount.

I gathered the newfound energy into my blade and slashed, my blade clashing against his and causing a one-way explosion and sending him tumbling back. My body almost moving on its own accord, as if by instinct, I raised my blade and brought it down as the energy engulfed the weapon more prominently. Another, more controlled explosion splattered a thick sheen of ice around the floor of room, making it almost into an ice-skating arena.

I didn't stop, instead I rushed my father in his moment of weakness, capitalising in a way he would've done to me. Without any shame or remorse, I slashed and cut off his arm, his expression one of pure shock. I just glared with all the fury of a cold winter storm as I did a elegant twirl, before piercing his chest with my energy-based blade, right where his heart was. I waited, gauging his reaction, before tearing the blade open by pulling it out horizontally, cutting through his lung, skin and muscle. Without care, hell, _with apathy_ I pushed him, the sudden force sent him falling onto his back, unintentionally bringing him from his stupor even as his henchmen fought, and died in the background against a pair of invincible Beowolves.

''I... am _not_ an object for you to use'' I growled at him, raising my blade with little hesitation ''See you in hell, you bastard of a father!''.

With a rather exaggerated slice, I brought down both the corporeal blade and the enlarged one, ensuring his death as I cut both his neck and body in half. I turned my head, alert as I checked on the other two, only to see the manifested wolves waiting for me, the corpses of his henchmen at their feet.

I took a breath, the cold feeling in my veins seemingly fading. From my hands my weapon dissipated, the Beowolves and the enlarged one also dissipating. I gulped in an attempt to moisturise my throat as I became aware of how _tired, thirsty_ and _fucking hungry_ she felt. Despite that, she could only take a single step towards her trusty and currently abandoned weapon before her vision swam, fading rapidly.

As she fell, she heard the soft bubbling sound of something strangely familiar, but couldn't identify it as her mind checked out.

* * *

Blake grunted as she leapt backwards, dodging another series of arrows from the Schnee girl. They had been fighting for... five minutes? Even so, the girl was good, probably would've been one of the best in their year if she went to Beacon. Of course, the fact she was intentionally fighting because she was defending Shiro Schnee and by extension defending his _horrific_ deeds made her a valid opponent, nigh sworn enemy.

Regardless, she was good. Her aim was precise, her arrows could home in if she willed them to and all of them were loaded with Dust, making it _very_ painful if they struck. My own Semblance was the only thing that saved me most of the time, since the clones could act as a barrier that caught the arrows and mostly stopped their momentum. Not only that, she was _fast_ , and the fact she had boots that allowed her to walk on walls and ceilings was immeasurably irritating.

When the fight started, Danika had led her into a mix of complex corridors that were abandoned by the looks of it, given the lack of staff. Since then she had been using the unusually high hallways to her advantage, using ranged attacks and refusing to get in range of my melee attacks. I reloaded Gambol Shroud and immediately began taking more pot shots at er, even as she ran along the ceiling, reloading another three arrows and drawing them. I threw Gambol, wrapping it around a door handle and yanking myself out of the was as three bullet-speed black arrows smashed and exploded onto the ground where I once stood.

I spun, withdrawing Gambol as I aimed and took another series of shots, but she used small adjustments with the use of the Schnee Family Glyph's. Despite being a ranged fighter, she seemed to be unable to move herself much with the use of Glyph's - perhaps she was simply bad at using her Semblance? Even so, her ranged attacks and seemingly inexhaustible supply of arrows were proving to be a pain - I had taken an arrow to the knee earlier, it wasn't fun.

Growling, I spawned a shadow clone and jumped atop it, using it to propel me closer. I did this twice more in less than two seconds before throwing my weapon like a flail, the blade spinning towards her until she simply dodged to the side. I grit my teeth and jumped again, following her down the hall and escalating in height as I closed in. I saw my chance as she slowed down to reload and I took it, throwing it at her, spinning towards her back. It would've hit, had she not have made a slight adjustment to the side before suddenly _rocketing_ along the roof at a speed previously not displayed.

She moved above me, smirking as I noticed three arrows drawn before she let them loose. I gasped as they pierced my stomach, sending me shooting towards the ground below and making my bones groan as my Aura absorbed the rough blow. I tried to get up, but the wind was torn from my lungs as the arrows in me only tore deeper wounds, making me hesitate to move. That hesitation was all it took as another two arrows pierced my wrists, conveniently missing the arteries, but inconveniently keeping me pinning to the floor.

I reached for Gambol, pulling on the ribbon to bring it towards me. It only moved a foot before another two arrows came down, one pinning and cutting the ribbon while the other landed in the middle of the trigger guard. Danika landed softly in front of me, smirking down at me as if she had known this would happen all along. Maybe it would've. She bent down in front of me, smirk in place as she roughly tore the ribbon off my head, making me hiss as it stung my second pair of ears slightly.

''Ha! I knew it'' Danika grinned, shaking her head ''Even now you filthy animals hide amongst us. Does your team know? Probably, so that options out the window... perhaps I could tear them off? Then again... Hm...''.

Growling as she practically ignored me in favour of decided on what to do to me, I tried to raise my arms through the arrows, but the spikes parts on them prevented me from doing so without cutting into my arteries. Since my arms were pinned, I lashed out with my feet, kicking her shin. Danika yelped in pain, stumbling back a step in surprise before glaring at me.

''Dirty bitch'' She seethed, kicking me in the leg as she reached for another arrow ''I'll put you down like the rest of your kind should be''.

The insults bounced off me relatively harmlessly, given I had endured worse in the past. That, and the fact I had an arrow pointed at my face and little way to dodge it. I jerked my body forwards, tapping into my Semblance and summoning a shadow clone, just enough so that it startled her. She released the arrow, piercing the clone's stomach and destroying it, the arrow flying and impacting the wall behind me.

 _''Avenge me, child of mine''_ A voice whispered in her ear as her veins felt like they were flushed with a cool liquid, dropping the temperature of her body in seconds. A clone formed in front of me, seemingly of its own will as it raised a clone of Gambol Shroud, firing off a burst of bullets towards Danika. As it did that, it walked straight in front of me, its shadow covering me.

My body felt lighter and I had the sudden urge to swim, despite not liking said activity in my past. The ground felt nice and cool, and it ripples as my body floated down into it, leaving me in a world of purple-blackness. It was like looking through a window almost, as I could see my clone now fighting Danika without dying when taking a hit. Any questions or doubts fled my mind with surprising ease as I just followed what felt natural, swimming under Danika before diving out of her shadow.

A ribbon formed in my hands, comprised of purple-black energy that I did not question as I pulled it over her head and settled it on her neck, pulling her head back towards me as I garrotted her. She gasped in surprise, flailing slightly before a soft squelch knocked the wind from her lungs. My clone stood on the other side of her, Gambol Shroud - the real one - protruding through her heart and out her back. Without mercy my clone twisted the blade, tugging it out before cutting the neck of the Schnee brat, letting her fall to the floor, dying.

I looked at my clone, the adrenaline of the fight dimming a slight amount. My clone smirked, nodded, and then her whole form unravelled into ribbons of shadow-like energy, darting into my own shadow. My breaths were coming out in pants and the pain from earlier was returning, so I sheathed Gambol Shroud and turned to the direction of where Eien and Ruby went, only for my vision to swim and darken.

As I fell, I swore I heard a gentle swishing sound, but I couldn't be sure.

* * *

Another wall exploded as Yang was sent flying through it, courtesy of the hulk-strength of a strike that Himmel had. Despite his rather average frame, he was surprisingly good at handling himself in hand-to-hand combat, so good she idly wondered if he could stand a chance against her father. She got to her feet, finding herself now in a large concert hall, the stage being quite large. Probably used for presentations or something.

Himmel came through the wall, dashing in on a Glyph with his fists raised. I jerked my fists forth, unloading several rounds at him that were mostly ignored. When he got into melee range I raised my arms into an 'X' shape and blocked his strike, the spikes on his knuckles almost piercing the metal. I growled, ducking under his next strike and punching him in the gut, followed by an uppercut to the hit and a strike to his face, the combo only sending him stumbling back. Even so I chased, not willing to make the same mistake as before.

Still, he recovered quickly and blocked my strike, hitting me back twice as hard as I was sent skidding back. I felt my Semblance activate as my hair glowed, almost like it was on fire and my vision turning dark around the corners, a form of tunnel vision. I sprinted at him, blocking one strike and putting all my momentum into my other, firing a slug off a point-blank as he was sent flying back. Despite that, he skidding to a stop and shot back at me with equal speed due to his damn Glyph's.

I blocked his attack, but the momentum behind it knocked me back a foot or two. I ducked under his strike, aiming for his chin until he took a step back, making me miss and leaving me open. His spiked gauntlet came down on my stomach and I gasped in pain as I felt the spikes pierce my Aura, jabbing through my skin. He yanked his weapon out and slammed the other into my cheek, the spikes sending flares of pain through my skull as I felt them scratch bone. Another strike hit my chin in an uppercut, knocking my head back before my legs were kicked out from under me.

I fell onto my back, blood running from a head wound I didn't realise I had gained and blocking sight from my right eye. I caught sight of him bringing another strike down so I rolled to the side, missing the attack only to get a boot in the face. I tumbled only a foot before I felt him grab my hair, yanking me back before his knee smashed into my nose, flaring another set of nerves on fire. I growled at him as he held me up by a clump of my hair, smirking as he drew back a hand and smashed it into my face, sending spots into my vision as I went flying across the stage, off it, and into the chairs and causing an explosion on impact.

My vision swam, but I stumbled to my feet, willing my sight to readjust and cast off the blurriness that came with getting punched in the face. My right eye was still covered in blood, preventing me from opening it and seeing with it, but with only one eye I could see something that made me freeze. Standing in the middle of the stage, wearing a slightly surprised look, was grasping a clump of blonde hair.

 _My_ hair.

 _''Kill''._

I felt a rush flow through me, like when my Semblance activates. Tunnel vision vanished, replaced with the unadulterated desire to _smash the living shit out of him_. I screamed in rage, kicking off of a seat and practically flying across the room. I landed on the stage, breaking out into a full-on sprint at him as he recovered from his surprise. He swung at me but I dodged to the side slightly, blood pumping in my ears as I slammed a fist into his chest, hearing a satisfying crack as he cried out in pain like a bitch. With a grin I grabbed him by the face, slamming him into the ground and snapping his arm with a single punch, as if my damage had increased ten-fold.

I paid it no mind, instead raising my fist and slamming it into his face, pulling back, and smashing it again. I let out a slight laugh as I slammed my fist into his face, again, again, and again and again and again and again and again!

''Yang?''.

I froze at the familiar voice, the voice of Ruby. Slowly I turned my head to the hole in the wall, seeing Ruby standing there with a slightly shocked look on her face. She was a little banged up, but looked more scared. Terrified even. Terrified of _her_. I turned my gaze below me, back to what remained of Himmel Schnee, everything above his chest nothing more than a red mass of blood and flesh. I became acutely aware of the amount of blood covering my hands, face, even in my hair. My whole body was covered in his blood... and a part of me _liked it_.

A shaky breath came out of me as I stumbled to my feet, another breath coming in less than a second as I began hyperventilating. I took another step back, a cold feeling of dread in my stomach as I dared to glance back at Ruby.

Only for something to hit the back of my neck, plunging me into darkness.

* * *

When my lilac eyes fluttered open once again, I was greeted by bright daylight so intense I closed my eyes again, groaning. There was a shuffling to my left, a few murmurs of words that alerted me that I was not alone. I opened my eyes slowly, finding myself in a large room with nice brown walls decorated with a multitude of paintings of varying sizes. The artsy wall was nice, and it wasn't too bad on my eyes. The lighter coloured floor and white ceiling were partially brightened by the rays of bright daylight that came from the tall rectangular windows behind me, birds chirping idly.

''Where... am I?'' I murmured, more to myself than anything.

Still, I got a response that came in a monotone ''You are currently within Father's Mansion, within his soul''.

Blinking groggily, I turned my gaze on Eleanor, who was sitting on a rich-brown leather chair in the corner of the room. On the other corner of the room was the witch-like girl Kotori, sitting on her broom with a sketchpad in hand as she sketched away with a pencil. Weiss and Blake were also here, lying down in their own beds that had intricate designs on them that weren't particularly easy on the eyes. My breath hitched slightly as I saw Ruby, sitting on the windowsill, gazing out the paned glass with a solemn look on her face.

Question registering, I slowly looked back at Eleanor, swallowing my fears for now ''What happened?''.

''Lots of things'' Kotori snapped, her tone holding little to no cheer, if anything she seemed pissed.

Eleanor sent Kotori a glare before replying ''As Kotori had put it, many things have occurred. Shiro Schnee was defeated and killed by Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna defeated and killed Danika Schnee, and you defeated and killed Himmel Schnee''.

I winced at the memory, but she continued.

''Father ran into... _complications_ during the invasion, and unfortunately has taken critical injuries that he is currently addressing. Mother and Risa were the ones who brought you all here after you had lost consciousness. All of us were involved in assisting Father... and unfortunately that fight is the source of my allies frustrations, in that many of them died''.

I froze ''Wait... you mean...?''.

Eleanor nodded ''Yes, many of us died. Father brought us back of course, but the cost on his Aura and the distraction cost him a lot''.

''Who was it?'' Blake spoke up, making me jump slightly, as I hadn't realised the other two were awake.

Eleanor pursed her lips ''I would rather not say, lest his name cause Kotori to blow up the wall... _again_ ''.

''Shut it'' Kotori sniped in annoyance, continuing to fiddle away with her notepad.

''Gin, Juha, Jaeger, Kenshi and Natasha were the only ones who did not die'' Eleanor added gravely, but also in a slightly ashamed tone ''Even so, they took harsh injuries also, and with Father in such a bad state he is currently unable to heal them''.

''Oh'' Was all I could say. It was slightly stunning to learn that Eien got his ass handed to him, given he was capable of fighting Ozpin on equal ground, and even then Weiss had mentioned something about neither going all out, but it had been a rumour apparently. The fact that someone was at the SDC and was capable of wounding Eien and his Spirits so badly... it was slightly worrying. More than that, she was worried about what she had done, especially since Ruby had seen her... why had she done it? She had went so berserk she had punched his face to mush and _she liked it_. That last part was the hardest pill to swallow.

The door of the room, a matching chocolate brown with gold handle, opened up with a quiet creek as a familiar teen walked in. Eien walked in, Risa next to him as he helped support him, the wounds on him evident by the bandages covering half of his face and obscuring one of his eyes. He wasn't wearing his signature cloak for once, showing his entire torso covered in bandages, descending below into his pants too, even peeking out near his boots.

''Sheesh, you look like hell'' I tried lightening the atmosphere, but it barely helped it seemed.

''I agree'' He sighed as Risa helped him into another leather seat ''I got my ass handed to me, for lack of better word''.

''That bad?'' I murmured questioningly, making him give me a light smile.

''Yeah, that bad'' He conceded as Risa took a seat next to him, sitting on the armrest in an almost casual manner, had it not been for the fact she looked ready to fight in a heartbeat ''We won in the end, but not without losses''.

''Yes, having your body torn in half while alive is not pleasant'' Risa said bluntly, a slight twitch as she shifted in her seat.

''Ouch'' I said quietly.

''Yes, unfortunately our opponent was not kind nor merciful in the deaths he handed out, they were instead done in a way to inflict the most pain'' Eien intoned, bringing a bandaged hand up to massage his face ''I am also aware of your own battles through Risa and Ruby, and congratulate you on winning''.

''Does that mean you know what happened during the last part of my fight?'' Weiss asked quietly, frowning ''The whole... energy thing?''.

''Indeed'' He nodded, leaning back ''All three of you have, unintentionally or not, awoken what can be coined with a simple term of 'special ability'. Like my Dunkelheit and Ruby's Silver Eyes, each of you have an ability of your own. Weiss; Summoning. Blake; Shades. Yang; Berserker Rage''.

''That's what it was?'' I asked, slightly relieved I hadn't gone off the deep end, but also concerned about it.

''Yeah. The information I have on all three of your abilities are rather scarce and undocumented, both because those before you either didn't documented it or weren't particularly knowledgeable about it. However, there may be a chance that you could gain assistance with yours Yang, as your father is apparently part of the bloodline that holds that particular gene. Blake, unfortunately, has no familial ties, and you'll have to figure out your ability on your own. Weiss, your sister has an advanced amount of knowledge about the Summoning aspect of your Semblance, so she can assist you in that regard''.

''Aside from that, business continues as usual, I suppose'' He said, looking down at his injuries ''Given that other things have occupied me recently, I believe I will need to make a stop at Forever Fall soon to gather more sap''.

''Sap?'' Ruby spoke for the first time, her tone quiet and curious.

Eien smiled slightly ''Yes, remember back when Glynda Goodwitch led us, JNPR and CRDL along with some others there? The extra sap I gathered was for a sort of opposite to an adrenaline shot, instead inflicting a numbing effect as it accelerates the regeneration of lost tissue. I hadn't found a use for them so far, so they went off and I need to get some new ones''.

Risa leaned down next to Eien, whispering something in his ear before straightening up again. Eien frowned slightly, nodding in acceptance as he got to his feet, Risa helping him in doing so, given he looked like he should be in bed instead of walking around.

''Unfortunately I'll have to leave you in Eleanor's care, as I have some business that needs attention. You should be fully healed, both in bodily wounds and Aura - including your hair, Yang'' He added with a touch of amusement ''Feel free to leave whenever, but I advise staying near my other Spirits for now''.

''Why?'' Weiss asked with a frown.

Eien hesitated for the briefest moment, before responding ''My soul isn't at its most stable point at the moment, since I took so much damage. If you're near the others then they can pull you out of danger before something bad happens. Anyway, I bid you adieu, girls''.

''Wait!'' I called, making him and Risa stop halfway out the door ''Who did this? To all of you?''.

Eien was quiet for a moment, opening his mouth before closing it a few times before finally responding.

''It was a naïve, inconsiderate choice of mine that caused all of this''.

And with that, he left.

* * *

Both he and Risa were silent as they walked down the hall, his Aura restored enough that he could walk on his own. He had kept many things secret from his team, but Ruby knew the truth of what happened, though seemed hesitant to speak on it. The reason behind it was unknown to him, but he wouldn't question her, not after the genuine horror she felt when she saw Yang in her Berserker state. Had he been able to he might've shared that feeling of horror, but he couldn't exactly claim to know what it felt like.

As he passed through one of the many winding halls, he passed Aria, who gave him a nod and faint smile which I returned. Aria had one of the worst deaths, having her eardrums blown out by their opponent as they screeched in her ears, killing her in the process. It was my fault, really, that I had been so foolish to not bear the burdens I had acquired, leaving my Spirits to bear them for me.

''Wakey-wakey'' Risa murmured, poking my cheek with her finger as we arrived in the basement. I sighed, moving across the dusty room and to the crate that held the Dust Crystals that were infused with Souls. He sighed again, already regretting what he was about to do, but it was necessary, and potentially an end to their suffering.

''I'm sorry'' I murmured, holding up a crystal in each hand.

And began draining the power from them, adding to my own.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap.**

 **The SDC Arc is now over, with Shiro Schnee dead and Weiss's cousins Himmel and Danika Schnee. I tried going with the whole Germanic theme, so I hope the names fit well. Weiss, Yang and Blake have all unlocked their special little powers, what will becoming of that?**

 **Next is the final arc, which I will be calling the 'Black Winter Arc'. This will likely last about... 3-9 chapters, more likely closer to the former. Who was the one who caused such damage to Eien and all his Spirits? Who knows? Soon to be revealed~**

 **Again, sorry for the late update time, my internet has been fucked recently with all the weather and the flooding, so my next update might also be late. Can't help it, but sorry!**

 **Until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22: Clash

**A/N: Sorry for the long update. Turns out the reason my internet connection was dropping was because I had a virus or something on my computer that was interfering with it. For those who do not know, I use the file editor on to write and edit my chapters instead of using something like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. I simply do this because I find it easier to use, since most of the options that OpenOffice and other word document use are not available in a FF chapter, so its redundant.**

 **More of Eien's Spirits get some character development - something that is quite difficult when you have less than 9 chapters left. As an extra note since I got a review speaking about it, you should be able to tell who's POV it is if their name is in the first line or so. Something like, say, 'Jaeger raised his guns to fire' or 'Time seemed to slow around them, before Gin lashed out with a vicious slash across their torso'. Something like that. If that does not apply, its likely Eien's POV (I don't like openly stating the POV of a person, it just feels unprofessional).**

 **Thank you to all who favourited, followed, reviewed and have stuck with the story thus far.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 22: Clash**

* * *

As he had informed his team prior, life resumed as normal. The injuries he took in that battle took almost a full day to heal, something that drew a fair amount of attention, but he easily dismissed the concerns of his fellow students and comrades. Summer and Marisol were the ones responsible for clearing out the labs since I had been occupied. They were officially handling the aftermath with the help of Qrow and Raven, with Ozpin intervening when needed. Winter Schnee was now the Leader of the SDC, having forfeited her position in the Atlesian Military for Weiss's sake.

Weiss was learning to control her Summoning Ability with Doran at the moment, using her power to create a enlarge broadsword that mimicked the movements of her actual sword, funnily enough the same thing Doran could do. Because of his ability to either create a full-blown Aura Samurai or, more preferably, just making the arm and sword of the samurai. They were, for lack of better word, doing a very slow form of sparring, focusing more on control than speed.

At my suggestion, Yang would start training with her father Taiyang soon, when he arrived. Amusingly, neither Summer nor Raven had ended up contacting him during the entire duration of their respective returns. Blake on the other hand had to figure it out herself, but to her advantage her unique ability was rather simplistic when you got down to it, even if the physics behind it didn't match up. Then again Semblances didn't often obey the laws of physics.

I would have to solve my mistake soon, and not only that but my Spirits had upped their training, both in teamwork and individual strength. It was necessary, for what was to come. Juha himself was doing the most intense of the training, mainly to increase his Aura reserves as to increase the duration of his Semblance, one that I could honestly admit I was still astounded that I had been able to create it; Clairvoyance and Nullification. In short, it allowed him to see the future, and anything he could wrap his head around and comprehend _would not be able to hurt him_. An example was this; if he understood how a bullet worked and could understand the physics behind it, that bullet wouldn't be able to hurt him at all.

It was limited, sadly, in both duration and how far he could foresee. At the moment he could only see a day or so into the future, and could only watch a eight second clip of the future. With no reference point, he was basically picking a random time during the day and seeing eight seconds of what happened. It had the potential to be one of the most powerful Semblances out there, but also one of the most finicky. Give him a decade or two and he could be one of the strongest out there, but until then he relied on his trusty sword.

My musings were interrupted as the door to the roof I was on opened, and I easily picked up Pyrrha's Aura signature as I turned slowly to look at her. Smiling, I greeted her with a silent nod ''Hey Pyrrha''.

''Hello Eien'' She smiled, dressed in her combat armour ''Jaune said you wanted to speak to me?''.

''More of a request, but yes'' I nodded ''I was wondering if you could train with Yang, since her father Taiyang isn't here yet''.

''Sure...'' She drawled, a growing frown on her face with a glint of curiosity in her eyes ''But you wouldn't ask me to train her for no reason, would you?''.

''No, I wouldn't'' I confirmed, giving her an unblinking stare ''I'm asking because she has a... _unique ability_ very similar to your own - you know what I'm talking about''.

She blinked, seemingly mulling it over impassively before a slight, cunning smile grew on her face. She closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly in obvious amusement, a soft humming chuckle escaping through her closed lips. When her eyes opened, they were the same crimson red as her hair, but far brighter and shinier like her emerald ones prior.

''I can't say I'm surprised you knew about it'' She said, sly smile not leaving ''Let me guess; you want me to help her control _this_?''.

''As much as needed, yes'' I nodded as I felt Era approaching my location ''I will be busy for a few days, so send my regards to the others''.

''Of course'' She smiled and nodded, blinking as her eyes turned back to their bright emerald colour ''If that's all, I'll be going now''.

I nodded, watching her as she turned and left the rooftop. I only had to wait a minute or so before Era took her place, walking through the door with her head angled downwards like always. As shy as always, the God (or Goddess?) of Time looked up at me, deep blue eyes equal parts innocent and intelligent.

''You said you wanted to speak with me, Eien?'' She said softly.

I smiled faintly ''Yeah''.

''I'm gonna need a favour''.

* * *

With a ding, the elevator reached the bottom of the elevator shaft, bringing myself and Era into the vault below Beacon. The eerie hallway that once held Amber was just as unsettling as I remembered, or at least as unsettling as I could feel. We didn't need to move far from the elevator, instead moving a dozen feet away and to the small alcove that was more of a design choice over structural choice. I sat down cross-legged, my cloak pooling around me as I withdrew my unnamed blade, placing it on my lap.

Era took a seat in front of me, sitting on her knees instead ''Are you ready, Eien?''.

''Yes'' I nodded, smiling as I closed my eyes. Era did her magic - possibly literally - and I felt time slow around me, as if I had just jumped into a body of water. This was what I was planning in order to increase my power; train like a motherfucker. As time slowed down, it allowed me to work inside my soul and give me extra time to both work and solve my problem.

I felt myself falling, as if a hole had opened in the ground, even though I knew that was certainly not the case. Instead of the physical floor being destroyed, it was effectively my awareness of the physical world disappearing. It was one of the subjects within my mothers journal, being a state of meditation from an age long forgotten. I usually used the quicker and easier method of transporting my physical body into my own soul, which in itself made little sense in terms of physics - but hey, who was I to determine the laws of existence.

I had determined my entry point very precisely, as to deal with my biggest problem first, the one who caused such a mess because of my inconsideration. My eyes opened to reveal the monochrome world that lay in the outer shell of my soul, where Nein lived. Standing across from me, waiting, was a being in full-body black knight armour that looked like it had been twisted, with a pair of crooked bull horns on its head and a demonic mask, spikes protruding from its shoulders and kneecaps, long claws on its feet and hands. This, this was the demon that had plagued Cotton Arc.

Despite having a mask over its face, I had the impression it was grinning. Finally, it spoke.

 ** _''Yo''._**

''Hello... Nein'' I whispered, drawing my katana with a swift motion and blocking the strike from his ivory blade, which had since become partially black as the demonic power tainted it. He shoved me back, his strength far superior to mine and sending me skidding back, but ready.

In the blink of an eye, ivory steel crashed against onyx metal, the ground shattering under our feet. I reinforced my muscles with my Aura, but even then he was superior in that regard due to this new form, so to speak. I ducked under our blades, enhancing my foot with my Aura and stomping on his ankle, making him growl but otherwise show no signs of pain. I jumped back just in time to avoid his slash, even if part of my cloak fluttered away as it was cut.

I teleported away, landing on the branches of a monochrome tree a dozen feet away. I concentrated the flow of my Aura and extended it to my weapon, hardening it into a solidified energy before swinging the blade in a wide arc, sending a purple arc of energy at him. I heard something akin to a snort as he carelessly slashed the attack in half with his clawed hand.

''Tch'' I sounded disdainfully, charging up another attack even as I jumped off the tree. My desire for that movement was correct, as less than a second later it exploded as Nein telefragged into it. I appeared next to him, swinging my blade even as he spun, his ivory blade smashing against mine. I had not been the only one to charge their Aura in their sword, as his blackened Aura pulsated in it before exploding outwards like my purple one. They fought for a moment before his overwhelmed mine, exploding my way and sending me flying back.

Even so, I caught myself on a Sigil mid-flight, jumping off it a heartbeat later to avoid a beam of black energy. One of the disadvantages I was at was that I wasn't able to use Seele Mitteilung, because the way I had designed my own to work was that I drew upon Nein's power and combined us in a sense, but since doing so would not be the best of ideas, I was a little stuck.

But even then, I had an advantage that he didn't; the ability to call upon my creations Semblances. With that in mind I called upon Jaeger's first, using his Retina Telekinesis to grab Nein's sword and send him flying to the side, since he refused to let go of it. I dashed in, landing a solid strike on his shoulder armour before I retreated to avoid his counterattack. I swapped Semblances and generated a ball of acid in my free hand, letting it grow as I fed it my Aura. I held it behind me and let Nein get close before using SchattenSchritt to get close.

I appeared behind him, dropping the basketball-sized orb of acid onto his shoulder and collar, making him snarl in pain as his armour was assaulted by the poisonous acid that belonged to Risa's Semblance. I swapped immediately, this time tapping into Kindle's and creating a ball of flames, which I immediately dumped on the acidic liquid and jumped back. Instantly upon contact the acid caught aflame, the roar of the explosion drowning out Nein's cry of annoyed pain. Even so, he didn't kick my ass and the others for being as weak as he was; I just held the advantage inside my soul because, well, it _was_ MY soul.

The matter of his overall strength became apparent once more as his clawed fist slammed into my face, sending flares of pain through my bones and hurtling me through my own monochrome world with all the speed of a bullet. I created a Sigil behind me, dragging it along with me as it slowed my speed gradually over the course of a quarter of a minute. Even before my momentum was slowed, I was forced to jump off to the side to avoid another beam of blackened energy that came from the mutated Nein.

Even so, I had learned from our previous fight that he had weaknesses; I had just been so flustered and worried for my Spirits I couldn't take advantage of them. He had monstrous strength that even surpassed Ozpin's and most Grimm, incredible speed and reflexes, and enough Aura to fight almost two dozen A-Rank Hunters at once. He was almost on par with myself, but I had the cards decked in my favour, and now it was the time to take advantage of that, even if it potentially risked me taking serious backlash.

I tapped into Era's power, using it in the form of a pulse, sending out a nigh-invisible dome-shaped wave that covered the entirety of the world in a heartbeat, draining all colour and leaving them just various shades of grey. Even though I performed the act within my soul, I could feel it emanate from my physical body, contesting with Era's actual power before she negated it with her far vaster mental strength. Time slowed to all but a halt, Nein moving in slow motion while I was free to move at a relatively normal pace.

I concentrated, this time reaching into the well of power that Reality had gifted me, causing a faint pink glow to spread across me, mixing with my Aura. I directed it all at Nein, utilising my Aura Construction to its max and arming Reality's power, a thousand, million spears and groping hands of invisible tendrils attacking Nein's body. It only lasted for a few seconds, but in that time almost a billion strikes landed all over him, impacting his very soul, which was ironic in its own way. Time resumed a second later and Reality's power faded away, fully drained.

Nein let out a wheezy gasp as his Aura dropped to non-existent levels in an instant, thousands of cuts and bruises forming on his body as blood spurted out from everywhere. His bone armour shattered, his consciousness faded and returned multiple times in a single second, and overall his soul tore itself apart and reconstructed it, inflicting unimaginable pain. I fell to the ground, landing specifically so his barely conscious body would land at my feet and no more. Reality and Era has instilled a portion of their power within me, and just from a single glance at their souls was enough to tell me I didn't even bear a tenth of a percent of their power, but given they controlled all time in the universe and existence itself, well it was understandable.

Hell, it was difficult to even look at their souls without feeling my own begin to wither from their sheer potency.

''It was my mistake that caused this, and so I shall rectify it'' I intoned, aiming the katana at his face ''I shall help where I can, but you must be the one to triumph your own darkness, Nein''.

And with that, I pierced his skull with my blade, making his body explode into shards of rainbow glass.

I watched for a minute, even after his body had fully disappeared and left nary a trace of its presence, I just stared. I hadn't killed him, instead I had essentially isolated him in a section of my soul, one could even call it an extension of it. If you pictured the soul as an orb, then imagine a second orb attached to it by a beam. If that beam is cut, he is left within the void, left to wither away and die. I didn't want such a thing to happen, both for practical reasons and empathetic ones. Practically, he was a powerful fighter that constantly grew in strength. Hell, the mutated form he was in right now meant he was able to surpass me in melee combat, even if it cost him his sanity. Or however sane he was in the first place.

In a purely physical fight, he would win over me no matter what, his strength was just that monstrous. However I had the advantage in that I possessed abilities that belonged to various god-like figures, however limited, and had far better control of my Aura opposed to his energy beams. One disadvantage I held was that my ability to summon my Spirits worked as a double-edged sword, in that regardless of my power, I held concern for those close to me. If one of my Spirits got hurt, it was pretty hard to ignore, made worse when they were in extreme pain, both because of normal reasons, and the fact I could _see_ their soul begin to die. It wasn't something I'd like to see often.

I shook my head, pushing past my grim thoughts. I cared for Nein the same as I did the others, regardless of how I acted around him; it was more of a wise choice opposed to intention, in that he was the type to pounce on you if you showed weakness, regardless of alliances. Doing this whole thing instead of defeating him with honour was rather cowardly, in a sense, and I would've given that more thought if honour meant anything to me.

Sighing, I flicked my wrist and a portal appeared almost as easy as breathing, the action practiced over the course of many months. I took a step inside, then another and I was fully inside the clock tower I had built as a transporting site. I didn't bother with the stairs either, instead just jumping down the shaft in the centre, a simple Sigil softening my blow to nothing. I felt a little sad and a little annoyed, but mainly sad, so being around those more cheerful or could produce solid results would be good for me.

I exited the tower, immediately taking note of Juha sitting next to the doorway, meditating. He did not open his eyes when my presence became physical, but he did have a slight shift in his Aura, a natural response one would have from being raised to fight. It was more instinctive than conscious, and in itself it was him giving the equivalent of an acknowledging nod. I let him meditate, instead directing my attention out to the others, my senses expanding out like an invisible and undetectable wave of energy.

Aria and Kindle, Risa and Shu, Kenshi and Gin, Mona and Eleanor, Jaeger and Kotori, Risa and Homura were all sparring with each other. Natasha appeared to be napping - no surprise there - and Chrystal was currently using a pillow as a trampoline, by using her Semblance. Kineticism was quite powerful, and if she was to say, jump off a building, she could absorb the kinetic energy and then use it to propel herself. By using a pillow - or multiple - it made that a form of training, in that she would have to gather more energy within her, pushing her limits, to be able to fight against the loss of energy that soft materials like pillows provided.

''What has become of the situation?'' Juha finally asked in his regal tone, straight to the point. I didn't turn or give any sign of acknowledging it, but it would be pretty hard to miss him speaking given my usual level of awareness. I took a few moments to mull over my words, before I replied.

''In an effort to not drag out the fight after my counterattack failed, I ended up using the powers of Time and Reality on him'' I intoned, staring off at the rolling green hills ''I did not kill him. Instead, I isolated him, and shall continued to attempt to help him until a breakthrough can be achieved''.

''And if you cannot?'' He pointed out wisely.

''Then I shall deal with it'' I said bluntly, casting a brief glance at my sword. Juha hummed in acknowledgement to my words, but did not provide a precise opinion on it. On one hand, they had been... friends? I wasn't sure what you could call them, but at the very least they could tolerate the other, if not enjoy the others company. On the other hand however, he was an intelligent and wise person, and had been since his creation. He was well aware that the lives of all my Spirits were not worth risking for Nein's. Hell, my own life potentially wasn't worth the same as all of them, if you didn't include the fact I could create more of them at will and they needed me to exist for them to do so.

I wonder how Neo and Amber were getting along? I hadn't exactly checked in on them often, since Neo was content to do whatever the hell she wanted, only contacting me either to ask for something or just because she was that bored. Amber on the other hand had been recovering from the whole, you know, _dying_ thing. Essentially, her soul had been thrashed about in terms of soul matters; She had fought Cinder, been weakened, had the Maidens power stolen from her soul, died, absorbed into me, then the Maidens power was forced into myself when I absorbed Cinder, and then directed the power into Amber while she was still in the process of recovering. Not pleasant, but necessary.

The power of the Maidens, from what I had garnered from Ozpin, was essentially an extremely complex spell that had been created millennia ago, back near the start of humanity itself. In short of it all, it granted magical powers to a person, but only if they met certain conditions. Those conditions were that they were female, young, and their souls were willingly able to accept it; that is to say that the soul can handle the power. However, I was not female, and while I was young and my soul was willing, I couldn't exactly work around it without potentially destroying or damaging the spell, fucking up future Maidens in the process.

So the only logical option was to return it to Amber, who will possess it until she gets old and dies, since Neo and Amber aren't unaffected by time like my Spirits.

''How has Homura's training progressed?'' I asked idly.

Juha hummed ''Quite well, I have to say. She's quite a quick learner. She isn't up to par with say, Kindle, but she is gaining strength fast. However she lacks physical strength and the ability to take multiple heavy, consecutive blows. She makes up for it with her speed and Aura control, along with the ability to fire as fast as she can pull the trigger - which is quite fast''.

''And her potential?''.

''She will likely be on par with Kindle when she gains her Seele Mitteilung and gains a bit more training, if not stronger'' He concluded.

''I see'' I nodded, closing my eyes ''And what of yourself?''.

''My Semblance has grown to allow me to see a few more seconds, though the general limit to how far ahead I can foresee has not improved by a considerable amount'' He replied.

''It is to be expected'' I acknowledged ''While Precognition is not the rarest of Semblances, they are extremely limited in what or how they perceive the future. Add in the fact that you can nullify things, your Semblance is quite unique amongst the unique''.

''Indeed'' He agreed, nodding slightly.

We fell into silence once again, him meditating and myself just... contemplating. Even as my eyes were closed, I could feel the burning power of the Maidens power within me, willing to be released. I presumed I would be able to control it to an extent through Amber, but it was not wholly mine - it was much like when I tapped into my Spirits' Semblances, in that I could use them but they were not mine, per say. If it was anything like Kindle's Semblance then it may take a little practice, but nothing I couldn't manage.

There were other things to consider, of course, in that the modified version of Seele Ernten I had used on Cinder had essentially absorbed her being, but destroyed her consciousness. Its like having a body, memory and brains of a person without the sentience of one. It was like a collection of memories given to me, like when I was a helpless child, a time that seems so far away now. I could see her life, from her birth under Ignus Fall and Onyx Fall, the former the father and the latter the mother. Memories danced behind my eyelids like flashes of gunfire, yet they were all too easy to pick out and define in less than a moment, allowing me to see their contents, so to speak.

She grew up in Mistral, up until the age of seven and having a brother two years older than her, and a sister three years younger. From there, her parents both died after being swarmed by Grimm of so many species even I was mildly taken aback. Grimm that were native to Vacuo, Atlas, and even Vale had all flocked over to them, and the two parents died protecting their children. They had fled, of course, but the parents could only distract the Grimm so much as the three Fall children ran back into the capital. When I say that however, it was more of 'ran several kilometres without stopping while being chased by Grimm and somehow surviving'. Notably, they all unlocked their Aura on that day.

After that they started living off the street, basically what you would expect from such a lifestyle; they stole, they starved, they stole some more, they stole even more, hell a large portion of her earlier memories were purely stealing stuff, whether it be jewellery to sell on the black market or food to fill their stomachs. This continued until Cinder was about twelve, which was when an... unfortunate event occurred. Her elder brother, Ash, died protecting them from some drunk Huntsman, quite a brutal death too. That had pushed Cinder over the edge and unlocked her Semblance, which she used to absolutely massacre the drunk man. Her pillars of flames were not exclusive to the Maidens powers it seemed, as she had used the overwhelming amount of alcohol in his blood to light him aflame until he died.

Both Cinder and her younger sister Ember lived on the run after that, chased down for the murder of a powerful Huntsman. When she was fifteen, they were caught and nearly killed by a group of vengeful Huntsman, who had seemingly been tailing the duo for weeks. Both had been chased into a warehouse near Violet City, owned by the SDC funnily enough. Long story short, they were chased and then one of the crates went off, causing all the others to go off in a massive explosion. Ember and Cinder were separated by a wall of flames, and with the Hunters closing in behind Ember and with the continuous prompts of her sister, Cinder fled and never looked back.

It was likely the first and final glimpse I would ever get at Cinder being _depressed_ , drinking away her sorrows like the man who murdered her brother. To my mild surprise, Salem appeared shortly afterwards, and then the memories got fuzzy. From what I could make out from the now-disjointed memories was that Salem offered Cinder to work under her in exchange for power - classic bad-guy stuff - and then from there Cinder trained under her, becoming stronger at a surprising rate, almost as fast as myself prior to my death. After a while, Salem instructed her to leave and find allies for herself to use.

She stumbled across Emerald when she was young, the mint-haired girl having attempted to steal some money from Cinder. Cinder in turn scolded her, but then offered for her to join her in her quest. Emerald, starved and lonely, hesitantly joined her. From there, a mother-daughter relationship sparked, with Cinder training and caring for Emerald for years until she caught word of an expert assassin who was for hire. She went out to look for him, only to find that his son had killed him - Mercury. After that life continued as normal; training, growing, and occasionally reporting back to Salem.

Then they found and hunted Amber, a memory I skipped merely for the fact it was hard to watch. If it had been anything else I wouldn't bore through it and just watched, but considering that any information it would provide was negligible, it wasn't a concern.

I zoomed through the rest of her memories, finding them to be of less interest than her earlier ones. I now knew what made Cinder who she was, both as a person and the choices she chose to make. Even near the end, she chose to die by my hand for one reason, one that makes me want to sigh in irritation or clench my jaw.

To die by my hand, instead of live by Salem's.

* * *

When I opened my real eyes a full twenty-four hours, I did so with gradual slowness to prevent myself being blinded by the dull green lights that lined the hall. Era was sat a few feet away from me, just outside the dome that was her own power, leaving her to munch away on a sandwich. Since my eyes were hidden beneath the tip of my hood she wouldn't have noticed me awakening from my meditive slumber, but she wasn't an almighty being of time for no reason I guess, given her eyes darted up from her snack in less than a second.

''Good afternoon'' She greeted with a gentle smile and I nodded my greeting back, wincing faintly at the stiffness of my neck. She gingerly handed me a bottle of water and I drunk it slowly, feeling myself be hydrated back to a relatively sub-par level, but enough to keep me alive.

''Thanks'' I thanked, not specify what I was thanking her for, mainly because I was thanking her for multiple things; her using her power to help me, the water, the fact she gave me a part of her power in the first place, and other things. Era merely nodded her head with another shy smile, pushing herself to her feet a moment later and I followed her example, stretching on the way and sheathing my sword. Without another word she walked towards the elevator, still eating a sandwich as I followed after her, one specific destination in mind.

The elevator ride was short and uneventful, not that it particularly could be. I called upon my personal Bullhead in seconds, whipping out my scroll and shooting off a message to Ozpin and Ruby about my current and soon-to-be location. The latter would be in classes, given that I practically had no use for them and had the authority to leave when needed - perks of being the descendant of Ozpin I supposed.

With a passing, but warm goodbye to Era, I left out the main doors of the building and towards the helipads where my ride was waiting. My sluggishness that came with having just awoken was quickly dealt with a faint burst of Aura, the energy flowing through my being and decreasing my fatigue, however slight. But now was the time to head to Forever Fall to gather the sap I needed.

Regardless of the ominous feeling I had, of course.

It took nary five minutes until we reached the crimson forest, though I just got the Bullhead to lower down to a little above the trees before I hopped off, sending the aircraft back towards Beacon with a simple thought, no need to waste fuel. It only got a few dozen feet away when a glowing black projectile flew out of literally nowhere, _piercing_ the Adamantite hull and _both_ engines, causing the aircraft to whine as it immediately began descending with no capable way of keeping it airborne. I was just surprised, dare I say shocked that something had been capable of doing such a thing, but that shock left moments later as I went into battle mode, scanning the area around me.

The blackened projectile swung around for a second run, aiming straight for my centre mass. I waited until it got close and teleported to the side, letting it fly past where I stood, but instead of hitting the ground it flew to the treeline... and into the pale hand of Salem. Honestly I wasn't overly surprised by that, hell if the world decided to go fucking explode I wouldn't be surprised.

''Salem'' I greeted, raising my head in acknowledgement.

''Eien'' She replied with a confident quirk to her lips as the treeline around us shuddered and rippled, before ten figures appeared. Amongst them all, I could make out Seraphim, though she did look a fair bit stronger. That meant these were her 'Ancients' then or whatever she called them, though I don't remember Seraphim claiming there was ten.

I hummed, staring at Salem ''My, such an audience, with your Ancients no less... what do you want?''.

She didn't reply to my question, so I sighed as I called upon my Spirits. Whatever they were doing was ceased as they armed themselves in seconds, allowing themselves to be transported into the physical world, standing around me. Given the nature of my enemies and their strengths, I summoned _all_ of them. They rose around me; Risa, Eleanor, Aria, Shu, Kenshi, Doran, Mona, Jaeger, Gin, Kotori, Kindle, Homura, Juha, Chrystal, Natasha and even Neo did, though Amber did not.

''Very well'' I intoned, eyes locked onto Salem's red ones ''Everyone... go''.

Instantly, all of them took off, either clashing with their opponent and dragging them away or leading them away from the area. In less than a minute they were all gone from what was about to be my battlefield, instead clashing off in the distance. I let my Aura flow into my katana, building it up as this happened, and once we were alone, I teleported right behind Salem. She spun around, wielding a double-bladed Naginata and blocking my strike.

The ground cratered around us on impact.

* * *

Neo and Homura practically glided into an open clearing, skidding to a stop as one of the 'Ancients' followed them. They were of indeterminate gender, given that their form was grey-black traditional knight suit of armour, a red tassel hanging form the back of its head. Its face was obscured by a pseudo-diamond shaped helm with multiple vertical lines, two glowing red eyes within. A large, grey broadsword was held in its left hand. Its entire body was armoured, leaving zero weak points, meaning they would need to punch through it.

''I am Baldur'' The now-identified male Grimm intoned, a heavy grizzly accent like Nazai ''You?''.

''Homura'' Homura replied softly, both handguns in her hands.

''Neo'' Neo responded, attempting to keep her high-pitched voice as low as possible. Silence ensued for several seconds, but the two Spirits used this to good use, communicating through the ever-present mental link they shared, as Eien was their host. In the short time they had, an improvised plan came up, and when Baldur showed the first signs of moving, they acted.

Neo rushed straight ahead while Homura unloaded a volley of bullets at him. The purple-tinted energy projectiles impacted his armour, but didn't even dent it. Baldur waited until Neo got close before lashing out, swinging the broadsword in a wide horizontal arc. Neo easily jumped over it, pulling the sword out from within her parasol and taking a testing slash at his helmet, causing sparks to fly but no noteable damage to be present. She scowled faintly, jumping over him before he could bring his sword out for a second hit, only for her eyes to widen in surprise when he grabbed her ankle.

Before she could use her Semblance, she was thrown away, impacting a tree and toppling it over with her. Her Aura absorbed most of the damage, but it still hurt like a bitch. Homura fell to one knee, dropping one of her handguns and pulling out her launcher, taking aim for only a moment before firing, launching a larger purple missile at him. Too slow to move, Baldur took the attack head-on, erupting a cloud of smoke around him. Said smoke disappeared when he swung his sword, the wind current behind it dispelling it. Again, no notable damage had occurred aside from light soot marks.

''Is that all you got?'' Baldur rumbled, slowly walking towards Homura. In turn, Homura's lips twitched down in annoyance as she began charging her right gun with her Aura, overloading it in a sense. Neo sprinted towards Baldur from behind as they enacted the second phase of their plan, Aura gathering. Homura dropped one gun, pulling her launcher off of her back and chucking it into the air, jumping a second later and doing a hasty spin before kicking the launcher on one end of it, sending it like an impromptu missile at Baldur. He simply leaned his head to the side, which allowed the weapon to fly past him. Homura jumped on invisible platforms she made with Aura, running at him at high speed while picking up her second handgun.

Baldur reared his blade back to spin, confident he could ignore Neo for the time being. She proved him wrong as she grabbed the launcher out of the air, continuing her momentum as she spun before smashing the launcher into his upper back like a baseball bat. He grunted, the force of it making him hunch forward slightly. Homura fell back, sliding even as her momentum carried her below him, where she aimed up with her guns and opened fire. The overcharged shots from them blasted at his face and chest, erupting into an explosion of purple.

Her momentum carried her out of the blast zone, letting her jump and spin, continuing to unload a hail of energy bullets on his back. Her Aura was consumed as she used it in place of physical ammo, such was the nature of her Semblance. Neo stood beside her, preparing to cast an illusion over them and teleport the two of them out of there if he came back with anything serious.

He did so a few moments later, roaring in a bestial tone and turning towards them, even as purple explosions erupted on his chest. He swung his broadsword, a faint black energy wave shooting out of it towards them. Neo immediately acted, layering a static illusion over them and grabbing Homura, teleporting the two out of there and to a dozen feet behind him. The wave cut through the illusion and a horde of trees behind it, causing a roar as trees fell.

''You two... you are annoying'' He rumbled as he began to glow with... Aura ''Feel the power Lady Salem has granted me! Jumon: Kishi!''.

He exploded into smoke, basically. Or rather, a shroud of smoke surrounded him as gruesome cracking and tearing sounds echoed from within, the gust of wind that had been summoned from his words not affecting them at all. Baldur roared furiously from within, his form naught but a shadow, something that writhed and shook and made the two girls hesitate to attack.

They didn't need to wait long though, as another roar shook the ground below them and dispelled the smoke, showing his changed form. Two additional armoured arms formed under his original pair, a standard grey longsword now present in each hand. His helmet was now destroyed, in its place was a black skull with glowing crimson orbs, a high collar of metal around its neck.

'' _This_ is the power Lady Salem has granted me'' Baldur intoned, tilting his head ''If you surrender, I make it quick''.

Homura and Neo shared only a glance, more for his benefit than anything, before they reached a silent agreement. Their Aura rose around them, Neo's pink and Homura's purple. A gust kicked up around them, shaking the trees and making the air thicker as their Aura became more potent than it should be, pushing the limits of their souls with the techniques that only their kind possessed.

''Seele Mitteilung'' They intoned, Aura exploding violently around them, incidentally kicking up a dust cloud to conceal them in a pseudo-dramatic fashion. A quarter of a minute was left to pass as they finished their transformation, both of them using it for the first time, Homura because she only gained it literally a few hours ago - or days ago in the time distortion field.

Neo's hair had become fully pink, her eyes also the same colour. Her outfit hadn't changed, but a pair of wings formed behind her, the energy barely connected to her shoulder blades. They were a the same colour as her hair, but had a hint of vanilla white and chocolate brown on the tips, eluding to the nature of her released state. Being an actual person prior to when she was absorbed, her weapon was not tied to her soul, so it remained unchanged.

Homura on the other hand was unique amongst her fellow Spirits in that her outfit had actually changed quite significantly. It was a strapless dark purple-black dress that went to her thighs before spreading out a bit, not hindering her movement even though the dress carried on behind her, reaching to her ankles on all sides aside from the front. She had chequered lilac-purple stockings and elegant black shoes, dark purple arm warmers that stopped at her meagre biceps and an onyx black necklace, standing out against her bare collar. Behind her, a pair of nigh-realistic feathered wings, starting off as grey, then turning white, then becoming the same dark purple the rest of her outfit consisted of.

''Do not think you hold any superiority over us, fiend'' Homura intoned as she raised a delicate hand up, a dark purple orb forming in her hand, floating. The slightest twitch of her hand made it contort and lengthen into a spear of energy, floating idly. A small smirk formed on her face before she jerked her wrist, sending the concentrated mass of energy hurtling at Baldur. More mobile and wary, Baldur moved to the side, letting it strike the ground behind him, but that proved to be a mistake. He was engulfed in a dome of energy, searing at his armour as Homura's Semblance took extra care to hurt him.

Blowing out a breath, Homura's smirk widened as almost a dozen more spears formed in the air around her, crackling with energy. Her Aura reserves had increased four-fold because of her enhanced state, but even she was aware the drain her Semblance was already taking on her. Seele Mitteilung was, at its core, just a massively enhanced version of their Semblances and combat prowess, so it was only logical it increased the cost of her techniques.

Baldur burst out of the smoke, crimson eyes widening when he caught sight of the spears. He didn't have a chance to block, as they closed in on him in a second, erupting once again into a dome of searing energy. Still, he charged through like a bull, two swords raised to block and two raised to attack.

''Tch'' Homura sounded as she jumped back a fair distance, summoning another series of energy lances ''Neo''.

The quiet girl nodded, charging straight at Baldur and hopping over his swords, bringing her blade down and stabbing at his collar, piercing the metal slightly and hitting Grimm flesh below. Baldur growled as swung haphazardly to shake Neo off, which she replied to by slipping down his back and whaling on him, sword a blur as she struck multiple times a second. His sword came around and she jumped off it, but mentally cursed when the second one came around, clashing against her own sword and sending her flying back.

The hailstorm of energy spears came down on him, exploding into another dome of energy that continued to damage his armour, however slowly. Baldur turned his focus on Homura and charged with the assistance of Aura, bull-rushing her. She formed a singular lance and met him halfway, using the energy-state of her weapon to withstand the weight of his blows. His two right swords came down, crashing against her spear and making her knees buckle slightly before she formed another spear in her free hand, blocking the other two swords and sandwiching her in-between them.

''Neo, now!'' She grounded out as she poured more Aura into her weapons in an attempt to withstand the crushing strength that was slowly overpowering her weapons, making them ripple and fizzle. Neo rushed in from behind, sword glowing pink with her changed Aura as she brought it down in a single heavy strike, cutting into his armour on his back and spilling blood. Homura's weapons glowed fiercely before exploding, allowing their wielder to jump back to escape the blast radius while Neo backed off also.

It turned out to be a mistake, as Baldur came charging out of the smoke full speed, shoulder-bashing Homura and stunning her. His sword came around and slammed into her side, cutting deeply but her Aura protected her as to not get bisected in half. She hissed in pain as she was thrown off to the side, toppling multiple trees on the way past. Neo attempted to avenge her ally, but Baldur's strikes were growing quicker as the fight progressed, adding onto the fact they hit like a truck. The end result was that she was sent flying backwards by a single blow, her Aura taking the majority of the damage.

A thinner, but longer spear of energy flew at Baldur, piercing his armoured stomach before erupting into a roaring star of an explosion. When the explosion calmed down, it immediately came under a hail of fire as Homura continuously summoned and fired more energy projectiles of varying lengths and densities. She had a deep gash in her side from the last attack, her dress soaking up the blood even as it continued to flow, her Aura slowly sealing the wound closed. Neo carefully crafted an illusion in the background, making a static image of her preparing an attack as to fool him.

Baldur roared, dispelling the smoke around him during the brief interlude when Homura stopped firing. The static image of Neo preparing what - to him - appeared to be a charge-up attack that was about to be fired, and it was only a few feet from him. Almost instantly, he lunged and slashed out with two of his four swords, shattering the image into pseudo-glass. Neo charged in, using her advanced state to aggressively lash out with her sword, utilising her smaller size to evade his strikes as much as possible. She whittled away at his armour, distracting him as Homura charged up her final attack.

She blocked a strike with her parasol, the reinforced material not ripping but knocking her back a dozen or so feet. With a simple thought, she changed, her pink hair melting away into brown as was her eyes, both brown. She ran at him again, slightly slower, but the effect shined through when she blocked a blow and barely flinched, instead lashing out with several rather futile stabs at his armour. That was the nature of her Seele Mitteilung that Eien had granted her; three forms of attack, each the colour of a Neapolitan. Pink increased her strength, reflexes and reaction speed. Brown increased the density of her muscles and improved her defensive capabilities. Vanilla increased her movement speed, heightening her senses and evasive capabilities.

Still, it did the job in distracting him as they exchanged blows for almost a full minute, both of them doing little damage aside to their Aura. The only warning that she had completed her task was the shifting of air as she moved, flying at him and picking him up despite the obvious weight difference, her Aura and Aura Wings assisting her as she flew into the air. Below, Neo sheathed her weapon, her wings dissipating as she watched her ally fly into the sky with their opponent.

As they past the clouds, Homura's body glowed a royal purple as her Aura flared to new levels, faint cracks appearing on her flawless skin, spreading as the glow got brighter and brighter. Baldur struggled, but even if he did escape he wouldn't survive the fall, so he could only wait and attempt to strike when she was weak. Not that he would get the chance, as her skin flaked away, glowing purple energy in its place. As her skin flaked away the glow increased, until her whole body was just a glowing mass that was vaguely human. Then in a heartbeat, she vanished into thin air, as if a vacuum had sucked her up and compressed her.

In the brief pause where time seemed to stop, Baldur could only mutter ''Soul Suicide...''.

And like that, the sky became alight as a nuclear-like explosion shook the air and painted it purple.

* * *

The air around Jaeger shook, as if it was an earthquake in the air itself. The purple oval-sphere that lingered in the sky was Homura's, something that Jaeger could identify quite quickly, as he was always good with Aura, given that his main weapons were quite literally Aura-based. He grimaced a little as he felt his comrade die off, even though he knew Eien could revive her without much difficulty, it didn't make it any easier to know she essentially committed suicide to kill her opponent.

If anything, that was probably a motivator for him to actually fight his opponent, instead of just avoiding her shots and biding his time. His opponent was that Seraphim girl, though you wouldn't be able to tell given she was a Grimm. She hadn't changed in appearance since his leader fought her, although her reserves of Aura were a lot larger, along with an unknown energy he associated with the Grimm, possibly their version of Aura.

Ducking under another orange-ish beam of energy, he easily used his Aura to create a platform and jump away from the slowly-enraging Seraphim, who was quite clearly getting pissed off with him not fighting back and essentially wasting her time. He raised his glass-like handgun, taking a split-second to aim, and then pulled the trigger and unleashed a beam of blue energy at her. Unprepared for the sudden counter, she took the blast full-force and was sent careening back down to earth.

 _'I'll avenge you, Homura'_ I thought with a flicker of a frown on my face, aiming both guns and pulling the trigger again, both of the charges set to the maximum. The earth below me shook as the two beams of energy impacted where Seraphim had landed, erupting into a fizzling dome of roaring energy. The _moment_ it began to deflate I zoomed in, ignoring the energy around me as it dissipated and landed right in front of Seraphim, who was recovering from my attack. I placed the barrel flat against where her stomach was and fired, blowing a hole straight through where her organs would be if she was, you know, human. Instead, black mass just began bubbling and filtering towards it in an attempt to heal it, however slowly.

I didn't give her the chance, instead bringing my foot crashing down on her knee, making her let out a high-pitched screech as she fell right into the line of my barrel, her eyes widening before her face was consumed by another blast of energy at point-blank range, completely ignoring her impressive defences. These were his weapons; Wolf and Saint, guns that transformed his Aura into a state of matter even Eien did not fully comprehend, yet its power showed as every shot was capable of piercing an Uber Titano's armour. He hadn't given his all during the fight against the massive Batman, given that he was aware Eien would step in when needed, so he just put on a show, as did many of his comrades.

The blast cleared, showing Seraphim had been thrown several dozen metres away from me, her face badly burned. She was coughing and wheezing, lying on her back as she tried to _crawl away_. It was rather pitiful, especially since she had apparently been capable of matching Eien once upon a time. Then again, he was one of Eien's strongest fighters for a reason; his resonance he held with his weapons surpassed that of all his comrades, both spiritually and emotionally. He cared for his weapons a great deal.

With a simple navigation of his Aura, he pushed it into his feet and jumped. It was a relatively easy manoeuvre that was taught to most students in academies, but Eien had special attention on it when he and his comrades were trained, as it was the closest they could get to having a teleport/movement technique that could potentially save their lives. Because of that, his simple - almost lazy - jump carried him over fifty feet, landing him right next to Seraphim. She looked at me, her hollow silver eyes that held no emotion, even when her face revealed her terror, her panic, her fear... her sorrow.

But I had not anticipated her words.

''Jumon: Tai Tan!'' She cried out, her whole body glowing orange before exploding, sending me flying back. It hadn't hurt me much, if at all, but the knockback had sent me flying back a dozen or so feet, ready for the next round. I waited patiently for the dust cloud to settle as Seraphim's form shuddered and writhed within. Soon however, they shadow in the cloud grew... and grew... and grew. Barely concealed within the dust cloud, the form shuddered once before standing up, revealing her new form.

Standing at somewhere between forty and fifty-five feet, she was clad in the ivory white armour that most advanced Grimm possessed. Her legs and feet were clad in flawless white armour, as was the rest of her. On her palms were the same orange circles that discharged the beams of energy that Uber Titano had, and her shoulders had extra armour on them while her arms were actually less armoured. Her face was the only thing that remained the same, aside from being larger that is. Unblinking silver eyes stared down at me, as if waiting on me.

''I may die here today, but I will not go down without a fight. I owe Lady Salem that much'' She informed, unblinking.

''I see'' I hummed, rolling my shoulders in faux-nonchalance ''Tell me, do you know what my name, Jaeger, means?''.

She tilted her head slightly, considering it for a few moments before replying ''If memory and education serves me right, it means 'Hunter' in the old Germanic language, correct?''.

''Yeah'' I smiled faintly ''Eien told me earlier that was only part of my name''.

''Oh?'' She sounded, an intrigued note to her tone.

I nodded ''Riesen Jaeger, that's my full name. It means Giant Hunter in German, apparently because he believed I could bring down any Giants that stood before me, like the legends of old''.

''Interesting'' She mused before a slight smirk came across her features ''Would you like to test that theory, Riesen Jaeger?''.

''Who shall win, the Ruler of Giants or the Hunter of Giants?''.

* * *

 **A/N: More fights will be in the next chapter and possibly, if they carry on, into Chapter 24. These fights are mainly shown for character development, actual skill displays and other reasons. If you remember the Atlesian Special Forces guys from Chapter 3-5, I intended for them to play a slightly more important role in the original draft of this story, but they just fell out of purpose really. I don't want that to happen to the Spirits, so I'll devote some actual attention to them instead of focusing on Eien all the time.**


	23. Chapter 23: Combat

**A/N: I have been informed that I have actually been using improper grammar this whole time, via putting a full-stop _outside_ of speech marks instead of in it. I honestly didn't notice until someone pointed it out, I must've been doing it subconsciously. Either way, I aim to fix that - but I may fall back into that damn habit every now and again.**

 **Also, apologies for the late update - my brother passed away a few weeks ago and I couldn't bring myself to write for a bit. Sorry about that, I will try to update more frequently, but life is a little hectic at the moment. He was also a major RWBY fan like myself, so it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, y'know? Sorry about that, I'll try to update more frequently. If anything, we've got about 2-3 more chapters till the end.**

* * *

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

 **Chapter 23: Combat**

* * *

 _''You sit upon your mighty golden throne, looking down on the world you made. Do not presume you are above me, for I will tear down reality itself to get what I desire, heathen!''_

* * *

Her fist came down like a hand of god, smashing into the forest ground and immediately rupturing the earth below and around the impact site. Trees were upturned, some thrown while others were reduced to splinters. I merely jumped high into the air to avoid both the attack and the debris, aiming both my guns before firing them right at her face. Surprisingly, she resisted the _sheer megatons_ of power that was behind the blast, instead swiping at me with one of her armoured hands. I dodged with little trouble at the expenditure of my Aura, jumping over the swat and firing multiple smaller and weaker blasts, but making up for it with quantity.

I went low to avoid her next strike, running between her legs while constantly unleashing a barrage of blasts. While her transformation was unexpected, I was completely confident I could win this fight if needed, though I wasn't going to let her get free hits in or anything. She turned as quickly as her massive form would allow, opening her palm and firing a thick orange laser beam at me. I barely managed to dodge out of the way, instantly returning fire with a pair of blue ones that singed her shoulder armour.

I dodged another fist, landing on her arm and running up it, firing straight ahead of me at her face to blind her. A growl came from her lips as she swept her other hand over her arm in an attempt to get me off, but I just jumped over it. I made it to her shoulder and unleashed another volley of blasts to her neck, but it only singed the armour there too. A hand came up and he dodged it, only for the other hand to enter his field of vision, milliseconds away from back-handing him.

He just sighed ''Ow.''

With a loud _thwack_ , he went sent crashing down to earth, skidding across the ground, creating a line of dirt nearly twenty feet long and one foot deep. I grunted as I got back to my feet, calling upon my Aura as it rose around me, making me feel almost weightless. Seraphim watched with what he presumed was curiosity, and rightfully so. He took a breath, feeling his own Aura fill his lungs before he spoke, voice reverberating in the very air.

''Seele Mitteilung.'' He intoned, his very soul coming to bare. He felt a piece of him split off, separating and becoming its own entity. Using his own Aura, he gave the shard a material form, taking the form of his trusty wolf, who howled upon manifestation. I could feel the power coursing through my veins, how my sight had been enhanced, my hearing far better than normal, the scent of burnt grass reaching my nose and the warm sunlight brushing my face. I discarded it all as useless background information, instead focusing my attention on Seraphim.

And slowly, I smiled sadly ''The real hunt begins now, Seraphim.''

Raising his guns, he overcharged them in less than a second, pulling the trigger a half second later. Twin beams of pure, Aura equal to a _gigaton_ of energy. If he hadn't been consciously limiting it, it would've encompassed several miles around them in the energy, but instead he limited it... and in turn, concentrated it. Seraphim didn't stand a chance, the beams cutting straight through her left bicep, severing the arm with palpable ease, the other beam pierced her stomach, marking a clean hole through the armour, even as the flesh began to heal.

''It appears that the Hunter is the survivor.'' I said with a slight modicum of sadness, aiming at her face with deliberate slowness ''I bid you farewell, Seraphim, may you find happiness in another life.''

Pulling the trigger, the beams shot from each gun, piercing her head and destroying her brain. Even after her body fell, he kept firing, disintegrating her body for good measure. Once the deed was done, he sighed, keeping his Seele Mitteilung active as he turned his gaze to where Eien was fighting.

''I'll wait until he needs me.'' I mused quietly, moving in his direction in a slow pace, my wolf tracking beside me, my eternal companion. Distantly, he recalled Eien's words, wise as they were true.

 _''There are no victors in war, only survivors.''_

* * *

Eleanor and Risa jumped back, each going a different direction as they avoided the wide slash their opponent had done with his short weapons. Both weren't too badly hurt, but their Aura had taken a fair beating in the fight. Their opponent had not gotten away unscathed either though, bearing multiple chunks of armour missing due to Risa's acidic attacks and Eleanor swift attacks.

Their opponent in question was a young-looking man dressed in what one might presume was a fashionable black business suit, had it not been it was as hard as titanium and too solid to be a suit. His hair was a simple black that was slicked back, crimson eyes staring at them. In his hands were a pair of curved scimitars with silver handles, sharp enough to cut through their Aura. Much like Risa, he had a very snake-like personality, apparently because he was originally a Viper Grimm, funnily enough. Albus was his name.

''Getting real tired of your shit, Albus.'' Risa scowled faintly, generating a ball of acid in her right palm.

''And I with your disrespectful attitude, Risa.'' He retorted smoothly, his tone having an apparently ever-present condescending undertone to it.

''Tch, asshole.'' She muttered disdainfully, chucking the acid at him half-heartedly, even as he casually side-stepped it. Eleanor charged in from the side, twirling her Sai's fluidly and swinging at Albus. He didn't even turn to look at her as he raised his own blades, Sai clashing against Scimitar. Risa sprinted in while he was occupied, flicking her wrists and withdrawing a pair of unassuming black daggers from her sleeves. She lashed out with them at Albus, yet at the _very last_ second he took a slight step back, angled his body a touch - the result being her attack missing entirely.

It was, essentially, like fighting Neo - all dodging and counterattacks but weaker direct attacks.

Which was bad, because neither of them were particularly good at fighting Neo, since they were both more suited to fighting weaker opponents. Risa was better for stealth and Eleanor's chances of victory increased the more she got hurt, for lack of better phrase. That in itself was a problem, as her Semblance _required_ her to be injured, or for her opponent to be sufficiently bleeding if she activated her Seele Mitteilung, but Grimm rarely bled in the first place and Albus was no exception, lacking any form of actual blood. Hence, Eleanor was unable to manipulate it, leaving her own blood as her only trump card.

She unleashed another flurry of jabs and slashes, but he swiftly dodged a majority of them, the ones that did hit doing little damage while he kept Eleanor occupied with his hands. Thus annoyed, Risa opened her mouth and gathered her Aura there, a trick that she had learnt from Eien. Albus only fully realised what she intended to do less than a second before she did so, which was not enough time to dodge.

Like Jaeger's weapon, a beam of condensed Aura shot forth from her mouth like a laser beam, acidic in nature and the colour of her Aura. It struck him on the shoulder, burning and corroding his shoulder before it pierced through his armour, driving a hole in his shoulder. Albus glared, thus distracted long enough for Eleanor to break the deadlock in their weapons, unleashing a precise blur of slashes onto his back, chipping away at a good chunk of his armour in doing so.

Growling, Albus did a swift spin, weapons aimed at them as an acidic venom not unlike Risa's formed, spitting at them and forcing them back. Risa jumped over Albus, punching him in the face as she did so and landing with Eleanor off to the side, both ready for an offensive that never came. Albus, if anything, just looking pissed off by the damage down, yet did not speak, nor act, only stared.

''You're totally not being creepy.'' Risa said flatly, but her taunt elicited no response, which didn't exactly make her feel good about his sudden silence ''Eleanor?''

''Mm'' The doll-like girl hummed in her usual monotone ''I believe I should go with the Bloodletting Tactic.''

Risa frowned faintly. Bloodletting was a named tactic that Eleanor exclusively had been taught and used, as it was directly linked to her Semblance. It involved her intentionally getting hurt, risking a lot of damage to her in exchange for the excessive blood she bled to be used by her Semblance, Blood Manipulation. The more blood she had to use, the stronger she could technically be, especially since it enhanced her healing abilities.

''You sure you can take it?'' She murmured, looking at the expressionless girl out of the corner of her eye.

''Yes. I'm the first Spirit to exist, I have to set an example.'' Eleanor's tone took on a surprising competitive tone, a faint smirk tugging at her lips when she saw Risa's stunned expression ''I can't let Homura upstage me yet, can I?''

Risa blinked once, twice, then smirk ''Heh. If your like this more often, you and I are gonna be a _lot_ closer.''

''I'll keep that in mind.'' Eleanor nodded, back to her emotionless state, but the competitive edge was now an undertone to her voice. She took off in a sprint, using her Aura to assist her speed as she approached. Metal clashed against metal as her Sai blocked both of Albus's Scimitars, her other Sai coming up and slashing vertically up his torso, her shoulder ramming into his chest in an attempt to make him stumble. However he was sturdier than anticipated, taking the blow with little more than a grunt before his blades came down on her, slashing into her shoulders and making spurts of blood shoot out, just as Eleanor had wanted, even if it did hurt like hell.

The blood froze in motion, static for less than half a second before it sharpened, darting at Albus's face and upper torso, piercing his armour and digging into his skin like thousands of miniscule knives. Risa appeared behind Eleanor, uncloaking from her invisibility as she held a large wavering ball of acidic poison in both hands. She threw it, spraying the front of the acidic poison in the wound and making Albus growl in pain, even as he dug his blades deeper into Eleanor's shoulders, hitting bone.

Eyes flashing in an emotion akin to anger, Risa unleashed a flurry of blows to his face, fists literally blurring as her Aura-enhanced blows brought wrath upon him. Three seconds passed and a total of fifty blows were thrown. On the fourth, she began throwing miniature sprays of acid, further enhancing her damage opponent. After ten seconds she ended her assault, rearing back both fists as her Aura swirled around them along with a mass of acid before she slammed both fists wrist-to-wrist into his collar, an loud thud echoing throughout their battlefield as a solid hole imploded in his collar, the air rippling around the point of contact before his body was violently thrown back, smashing down nearly a dozen trees as he was sent flying.

Both Eleanor and Risa fell to their knees, the former because of the deep gorges in her shoulders and the latter from the massive drain such a technique cost her. The two were left panting heavily as they recovered as best they could.

''I was not aware... that you were capable... of performing the technique.'' Eleanor breathed out, wincing as she used her Semblance to create a covering of skin over the wounds, sealing them off but not stopping the pain. Her Aura was less protective than a normal persons, instead being more oriented to heal her, which would happen before long.

''Yeah... haven't got anywhere near mastering it, but I can use it... without breaking my arms...'' Risa panted, hands smoking slightly from the attack. It focused on bringing forth a large sum of Aura and running it up and down the arms to increase the speed and power of her blows, which was what was responsible for her incredible hit time, but it meant that the only way to stop was to unleash all the remaining Aura in a single, powerful blow. As she had just witnessed, it was clearly capable of punching a hole through even high-level Grimm's armour, the additional acid limiting the regeneration ability of the Grimm.

Risa looked up, waiting for her opponent to retaliate, only to blink in surprise when she saw the upper-half of his torso, no life in his eyes as his form slowly deteriorated ''Huh... that blow killed him.''

Eleanor looked up from the ground, blinking in surprise ''You are correct... I was not aware... that the attack was so strong.''

''Neither was I...'' Risa murmured, grunting as she stood up fully, extending a hand to Eleanor with a wide smirk ''C'mon, we've still got work to do.''

Eleanor breathed out a puff of air, distant amusement dancing behind her blank stare ''Indeed.''

* * *

Aria jumped back with the assistance of her Aura, dodging a literal hail of feathers that swarmed down at her, splintering the trees around her. She generated her Semblance's energy, forming them into a pair of tomahawks and threw them up at her airborne opponent. Kindle landed near to her, thrusting her wrists forward as balls of flames shot up at him. Their opponent, a Nevermore Grimm-Human, was quick to activate a technique akin to their Seele Mitteilung, granting him wings that were attached to his arms, crimson eyes staring down at them.

''This guy... is a pain in the ass.'' Kindle grunted, standing up and wincing as her side continued to bleed from where she was caught unawares earlier on.

''You can say that again.'' Aria murmured, forming a javelin and chucking it up at him, mostly to distract him. It detonated at her command, engulfing him in a cloud of dark blue smoke, even if it likely did little to no damage.

''You got a plan?'' Kindle asked hopefully.

''Eh... lets go with Kerosene.'' Aria smirked as she brought her Aura to bear ''You up for it?''

''Hell yeah.'' Kindle returned the smirk as her own Aura became visible, wisps of flames dancing around her body. The heat around them increased rapidly, the grass below them drying out and even burning up, the heat so hot it couldn't even catch fire.

''Seele Mitteilung!'' They cried as their Aura exploded outwards away from them. Kindle's flames turned a midnight black, roaring loudly as her eyes switched colour and wings of flames spawned behind her. Aria's fox features became more apparent and wings of energy formed behind her, her newly-born tail swishing in eager anticipation.

With a burst of Aura, Aria leapt high and to eye-level with their opponent, Agualia. She contorted her energy into a massive hammer, wielding it with ease and she swung at him. Silently, Agualia dodged to the side, the beating of his wings loud in their ears. Without delay Aria began twirling the weapon around, jumping on nigh-invisible platforms of her own Aura as she rapidly dealt out attacks that the silent Grimm-Human did nothing to counter. Part of her was annoyed by this, but the more logical part of her - that had been instilled by Eien during their more recent training sessions - told her that she should take advantage of his ignorance.

She swung again, missing him by a fraction, until she let go of her hammer and let the momentum guide it. Taken aback by this, Agualia couldn't dodge in time before it exploded dead-centre, though did little actual damage aside from knocking him back. That was one of the flaws of her power; her attacks, even sharp swords, lacked much if any penetration power due to their energy nature, meaning armoured foes were troublesome for her. Kindle was a little better off because she could burn them at the same time, but that also meant she had to get close, given her flames died off after a certain distance.

However, Kerosene was a tactic that would solve that.

She jumped back to clear some distance between them and she wasn't surprised when he didn't press the attack, given the fact he hadn't' done that so far. She held out her right hand and drew upon the power of the Semblance, forming it to her whim. The flames extended and grew to a massive degree, transforming into an absolutely giant javelin that rivalled the size of Doran's Aura Giant. She was above Agualia in terms of current height, though he was bobbing up and down as he flapped his wings. She grunted as she moved the absolutely massive javelin before stabbing it downwards, completely missing Agualia as it stabbed into the ground.

Agualia shot her an unimpressed look, which she retorted with a wide grin as Kindle's black flames lurched and ignited the bottom of her javelin from ground-level. Like the tactic 'Kerosene' suggested, the whole weapon went up like a match, igniting into a raven-black pole of imminent doom. She hissed as her hand burned from the devouring flames, but since a fraction of her power was in there it would naturally refuse to extensively harm her, even if it did hurt. She let her power flow through her veins, hissing through clenched teeth as she felt them ignite too. All part of the plan.

Agualia, whether it was because he sensed her distracted state or because he merely got bored, flew towards her with his clawed hand raised, his form gliding through the air. She raised her palms towards him, one eye closed as she felt the searing heat in her veins reach new heights as they flowed to her wrist. Like twin flamethrowers an expulsion of two jets of raven-black flames shot out of the arteries on her wrists, coating his whole form in less than a second. She didn't stop letting the energy flames flow out until she felt her Aura reserves dry up along with her blood slowly failing to regenerate, indicating she should stop lest she face a rather painful end.

It was good most of Kindle's flames no longer remain in her veins, as she forced her Aura to seal the wounds and let whatever energy remained dissipate at the cost of deactivating her Seele Mitteilung, making a wave of exhaustion hit her. She descended to ground level, panting before she fell to her knees, arms behind her as she held herself upright. A crash a dozen feet in front of her drew her attention, revealing the source of the crash to be Agualia's body, a panting Kindle standing atop it, fists bloody.

''He dead?'' Aria panted.

''Yep.'' Kindle grinned lopsidedly, walking off his burning corpse ''C'mon, we've got more assholes to kill.''

Aria laughed lightly ''If we walk away today with anything less than a missing limb, I'd count this as a win.''

''I hear ya.''

* * *

All across Forever Fall, his Spirits fought against their Grimm-like opponents. His Spirits were on the mostly victorious side, taking wounds but still managing to slay their foes with ruthless assaults. His own opponent, Salem, proved to be more powerful than he originally anticipated, given her masterful skill in wielding the double-bladed Naginata.

I grunted as I blocked another block, both hands on my sword to enhance the power behind my blows. I pushed her back, moving in at a low ankle and bringing my unnamed blade up in a wide sweeping attack. She easily blocked the attack with the shaft of her weapon, spinning it around and lashing out with several rapid jabs that forced me to back up lest I get impaled. Again.

I removed my left hand from my sword, pointing my palm out towards her as my Aura rushed through my arm. A crimson Sigil appeared beneath her before it exploded upwards in a violent torrent of fire. Salem charged through it, parts of her robe and skin slightly burned but little else. I teleported away from her strike, appearing above her and aiming an axe kick down on her. She grabbed my ankle before it could make contact, swinging me around and hurling me towards the trees. I tapped into Chrystal's Semblance, halting my kinetic force and softening my blow before shooting back towards Salem.

I let a portion of my Aura flow into my sword before I swung it, creating a massive shockwave when I clashed with her. She skidded back and I pressed the advantage, coming in low with an upward slash before sending a rapid series of jabs at her. Despite the advantage, she succeeded in blocking almost all of them, a scant few jabs only doing minimal damage. I summoned another Sigil beneath her, this one of ice that creating a vertical pillar of ice that should've encased her, had she not jumped to the side at the last second. My lips twitched downward in annoyance as I summoned my scythe, Judgement, and held it in my free hand.

No words were passed before we flew at each other once again. With double the weapons as before I went on the offensive, focusing on the number of attacks opposed to the actual damage. I twirled, jabbed, slashed, hacked, I pulled out every move I had as I assaulted the witch. Its effectiveness showed as I landed more hits, but they seemed to annoy her more than anything. She twirled her Naginata and knocked me back and I suddenly found myself on the defensive, Salem's ferocity showing as she let out multiple jabs before switching to quick but deadly slashes.

Soon one of the attacks got through my defence, piercing my left shoulder and throwing me away. I flipped in the air and managed to hand on my feet, wincing at the fresh wound but putting it to the back of my mind for now. My Aura gathered around me, drawing upon Nein's from within the dimension in my soul, focusing, sharpening, becoming stronger.

''Seele Mitteilung.'' I murmured as the 'X' shaped wings burst to life behind me, a visible sign that the soul enhancement was active. I felt all of my senses sharpen, the weapons in my hands almost trembling with power. I teleported behind her, lashing out with a wide arc with my sword, only to meet the shaft of her weapon. I growled in annoyance and quickly attacked with a flurry of complex manoeuvres. My enhanced reflexes, strength and speed showed as I landed multiple strikes on her, but at the same time she seemingly upped her game and landed an equal amount of hits on me. My sword brushed past her cheek and she growled, a sudden burst of icy Aura knocking me back.

I flipped using my scythe, landing in a position ready to fight. Salem didn't press her immediate advantage, instead her whole body glowed a mix of icy teal and virus purple-black. She floated a few feet off the ground, glaring at me as the wind picked up, storm clouds gathering above us and thunder booming in the distance, drowning out the sound of the fighting that warred between his Spirits and Salem's own creations.

My lips thinned ''So my earlier presumptions were correct... you're the Winter Maiden.''

''Of course.'' Salem merely said, glaring before swinging her arm in a wide arc, sending down a hailstorm of ice spikes. I lifted two fingers from the shaft of my weapon and pointed them forward, summoning a Force Sigil with palpable ease. The spikes struck the semi-solid energy and exploded on contact, the Sigil acting as a shield before I activated it, letting the remaining spikes to fly back towards Salem. She scoffed, jerking her wrist as a flash of light approached me. Instinct from training with Death saved me as I jumped to the side, barely avoiding being struck by lightning.

Another flash of light from above and I teleported a few feet away, hissing as I felt the intense heat that came off the bolt. I teleported again just in time to avoid another bolt before I lunged towards Salem, covering the distance in seconds. I raised my scythe in preparation to strike when a flash caught my attention, prompting me to dodge... then realise my error.

My muscles locked up and my whole body went into spasms as the lightning was attracted to my scythe in particular, the intense voltage of electricity nigh-burning me alive had it not been for my Aura and Life's Mark healing me immediately. It ended after a scant few seconds, but it took another few seconds for me to even coherently realise it had ended. I didn't get a chance to fully gain my bearings as a strong gust of wind crashed into my torso, sending me flying backwards into the ground, cracking a rib or two. Regeneration will take a few minutes to heal that.

''Why... why did you come out here?'' I asked between heavy pants, wincing as I stood up. One bolt, that was all it took to bring me to my knees. Granted, my Aura reserves were still in the yellow area, but that wouldn't last long at this rate. Sigils and SchattenSchritt cost a fair amount of Aura to perform, not to mention Aura-based techniques. Not to mention the cost of using my Spirits' Semblances were quite costly. With that in mind, I silently let my Seele Ernten summon and crawl out of my back, the light-like beam going into the ground, slowly sapping it of its life force and restoring my Aura, however slowly.

''I am not such a fool as to inform you of my plans, Eien Haizen.'' Salem intoned as she raised her palm to the sky, a ball of fire forming, slowly growing.

''Then I'll just have to make you tell me.'' I grinned slightly as I called upon my power, summoning a large lightning Sigil and immediately activating it. Salem's eyes went wide moments before she was engulfed in a forest of lightning bolts that came from below, nearly blinding me. The cost of the technique at such a wide area drained a good chunk of my Aura, forcing me to deactivate it. Without waiting for a moment I used SchattenSchritt to appear in front of the slightly-dazed Salem and swapped my Semblance with Kindle's, letting my right fist - the one with the sword - caught alight with blackened flames.

I couldn't help but smirk as I punched Salem in the face, enjoying the sickening crack I got from it. I followed up with a swift sweep of my sword along her torso and would've followed up with another had it not been for the sudden gust of wind that blew me back. A wind Sigil waited for me and I was sent shooting back toward Salem, swinging in a wide arc at her with Judgement. Her hand abruptly shot up and grabbed Judgement by the part of the shaft just below the blade before yanking, displaying monstrous strength as she snapped the weapon's head from its body.

Her elbow came down and bashed into my temple, partially blinding me as she punched my in the throat, a dozen spears of ice piercing my chest and abdomen. I fell back to ground level and my instincts screamed a warning, prompting me to haphazardly teleport a dozen feet back, still with spots in my vision and gasping for air. As I landed I fell to one knee, oxygen filling my lungs once more as my throat opened up again and the spots faded from my vision with the assistance of my Aura. I glanced up and tensed as I saw Salem near, Naginata poised to pierce me.

Before she could, her eyes widened and my own widened in tandem as I detected another presence enter the clearing. Kindle came flying from the right, foot ablaze with blackened flames as the appendage crashed into the side of Salem's head, sending her flying back. I smiled as I felt my other Spirits converge on the location, some sooner than others, but all of them making there way here. With a grunt of pain, I stood up, letting my Regeneration take hold and begin mending my wounds at the cost of my Aura. Salem stood across from me, eyes narrowed as she likely sensed this too.

''Its over, Salem.'' I taunted, trying to get my breathing under control as I tightened my grip on my remaining weapon.

''I'm afraid not.'' She sneered haughtily ''It isn't over until I say it is.''

''Oh?'' I said with narrowed eyes, even as the majority of my Spirits congregated around the massive patch of open ground me and Salem had created. I watched as Salem floated in the air slightly, that same purple-black Aura rising off her skin once more.

''I do believe you children need to put in your place.'' She intoned as her Aura suddenly went haywire like electricity, violently sparking and bolts of blackened energy shooting around her. Slowly it formed into a pseudo-vortex, roaring and viciously hissing like a congregation of animals. A gentle gust of wind blew by and sound became inaudible for just a moment, allowing me to hear her words.

''Jumon: Majo.''

The vortex of twisted energy screeched as it surrounded her completely, kicking up enough for force to nearly knock me off my feet had it not been for a gravity Sigil. The vortex trembled before exploding like a grenade, raindrops of energy scattering across the open space, burning the ground like acid. Their Aura protected them, but it stung when it did their exposed flesh. A dark haze covered the forest, as if a fog had landed, but it faded soon enough and allowing me to see Salem.

She hadn't changed much, surprisingly. No physical changes, no additional limbs or Auric appendages, nothing. On the subject of her weapon however, it was no longer the double-ended Naginata, instead it was a simple straight sword that looked similar to a katana, although without the slight curve a katana had. Its blade was black with a stripe of grey down the middle of the blade on both sides, the hilt gold with a rich-red ruby in the centre. Obviously, there was more than meets the eye with the weapon, unfortunately.

''Great... just great...'' I murmured irritably - this changed things, majorly ''Gin, Juha - I need you to-''

I froze as a squelching sound came from my left and my head snapped to the side, my eyes widening at the sight. Salem stood before Kindle, her sword impaled through Kindle's throat. Terror shone brightly in her eyes as she instinctively tried to grasp at the blade, only ending up cutting her fingers. With a swift slash, Salem severed her head, letting her corpse collapse beneath her. It snapped me out of my stunned state as rage flared and I teleported to her right side, katana already swinging in a wide arc towards her side.

''Hmph.'' Salem just huffed as she spun, raising her own blade and blocking my own with a deafening bang. She shoved me back with sudden strength and swung her own blade in an arc towards me, leaving no chance for me to escape and forcing me to raise my own blade to block it. They clashed and another loud clang ensued, my blade snapping in half from the point of impact and hitting me with a massive wave of concussive force, sending me skidding back. My chest felt heavy, like my chest would've caved in if not for my Aura.

''Bitch!'' A cry came from Aria as several weapons composed of her Semblance-based energy. Salem wasn't even effected when they hit her, merely smirking before she vanished. Another cry, a pained one, came from Aria as the sword pierced her chest, clearly hitting her right lung. Doran lunged from behind, swinging his blade down in a wide arc, but Salem _caught_ the blade with her bare hand, snapping it on a whim before lashing out with her own weapon, the dying Aria falling to the floor. Doran's armour barely saved his life, though gained a large gash down the front of the metallic armour.

It was like a relapse of Nein's mutation.

I grit my teeth before collectively deactivating the undetectable Sigils that kept the Spirits within the physical world. They all let out cries of surprise as they were sucked into a Sigil and I tuned out their voices or cries of protest. Alone I faced Salem, who didn't outright attack me, instead giving me that same condescending smirk as she turned to face me.

''Interesting. You possess the ability to revive them, yet instead force their retreat?''

I scoffed ''I won't let them die for nothing.''

I held out my left arm, closing my eyes as I felt the resounding power within me. I let the power flow through my veins and up to my arm before letting it loose. Skin tore and flaked away, muscles were ripped and shredded, bones broken and disintegrated. I restrained any noises of pain that came from having my arm literally torn to shreds and only when it was over did I allow myself a very brief reprieve.

''I will not allow you to harm those close to me... not now, not ever.'' I intoned, glaring at her as I felt the power take hold ''Seele Glied.''

Purple Aura burst out of my arm socket, rapidly gathering and forming. An arm that was slightly longer and bulkier than my actual arm formed, made from the very light of my soul. The fingers were more claw-like and the whole limb was electrical in appearance, with jagged and slightly pulsating edges and arcs of energy dancing across it. Nowhere near its true form, unfortunately.

''This is not its complete form, nowhere near it, I'm afraid.'' I informed blankly as I hastily got used to the strange feeling of the limb ''But I will still bring about your end, Salem. Sooner or later.''

She raised an eyebrow, even as I summoned another sword ''Do you seriously believe _that_ will help you?''

''I do.'' I nodded before disappearing into a usage of SchattenSchritt, appearing behind her in a crouch. I lunged at her with my newly-remade sword, predictably ending in a clash with her. With incredible speed she lashed out towards me and I caught the blade with my new limb and attacked back with a vertical slash, narrowly missing her. She growled and tore her blade from my grip before suddenly stabbing it into the ground. I only got a slight rumbling as warning before the ground suddenly caved in, forcing me to teleport out of its reach.

When my body materialised I was suddenly assaulted by her once more, her blow strong enough to shatter my blade once more and knock me back, even though I blocked it. I summoned an Ice Sigil and a pillar of ice formed between myself and Salem, yet I found myself flying towards said pillar as I was struck from behind. I flipped and softened my impact, instead running vertically up the pillar to escape Salem's reach. The pillar cracked and shattered as she apparently struck the bottom, letting me jump off it. As I arced through the air I was suddenly very aware of gravity being increased massively before I impacted the ground and created a small crater.

I got to my feet, only to let out a pained grunt as I felt her sword pierce my torso several times in a handful of seconds, striking multiple organs, not that it would matter in the long run. I turned, dragging the impaling blade further through my torso, and grabbed her wrist with my new limb, digging the clawed fingers into her skin. She narrowed her eyes at me before I summoned a Sigil beneath us, glowing a toxic green and flaming red. It exploded and I was partially blinded by the burning ivory colour that was produced, my Aura barely protecting me against the searing heat.

I was knocked back out of the flames, immediately being rewarded with a diagonal slash down my already-bleeding torso. I glanced around for a sightline on Salem and caught her coming in from my side, fast as Ruby on a sugar high. I spun around and caught her blade with my energy hand, tightening my grip as to prevent her from retreating. She glared and I returned the glare as my free hand was ignited in putrid black flames, Death's Mark glowing fiercely.

I teleported behind her and swung, fist crashing into her upper back. She let out a pained screech as I conveyed all of the power within the marking into my strike, sending the godly power into her soul with a spear from hell. Despite the rather ridiculous amount of killing power that was contained within the marking, Salem did not perish, something I grimly expected due to the fact she was - as far as I knew - in possession of the Winter Maiden's powers, thus making her unkillable via the power of the gods.

Just his luck.

She abruptly spun, face twisted into an angry grimace as she slashed me across the chest, the force behind the blow enough to make my bones groan in pain, my Aura already below 25% if he had to guess. I flew back a few dozen feet before I could skid to a stop, but was struck in my left side and thrown once more. I teleported two dozen feet in the air, falling to the ground and clashing with Salem once more with my recreated sword. The blade groaned as it struggled to fight against the massive power that Salem wielded, yet didn't break. Yet.

I ducked under her attack and swung but she intercepted the blade with her hand, grabbing it and snapping the metal blade with apparent ease, even if her palm did bleed from the act. I jumped back and summoned another sword, raising it just in time to block a strike that instantly shattered the blade, leaving me with naught but a hilt.

Summoning several thunder Sigils around me, I activated them, causing a literal storm of lightning bolts to arc upwards from the semi-solid constructs. Salem weaved passed each bolt and I narrowed my eyes in frustration as I summoned another sword along with my scythe. This was ridiculous, the notion that all my training up until now was not enough? How the hell was she so strong?!

''Fool.'' She intoned, blade coming up in a low, sweeping vertical arc. I stepped to the side to avoid it and jabbed out with a thrust which she deflected with the back of her palm, returning the gesture with a wide horizontal swing. Our weapons were about equal in length, which was at least a silver lining to this shitstorm. I dodged back with the assistance of a wind Sigil, jumping into a roll to avoid several swift jabs from her blade. I threw Judgement at her, using Jaeger's Retina Telekinesis to alter its flight path and smash into Salem's side. I gathered Aura in my now-free hand and condensed it into an orb, thrumming with power.

I let the condensed ball of Aura fire like a laser towards Salem, who merely dodged out of the way. Upon impact it exploded into a literal dome of purple energy, hissing and thrumming with raw power. Salem burst out of the dome, wisps of purple energy clinging to her form as she glared at me before she literally _vanished_. My lips thinned as I waited for her to reappear, which she did a split-second later behind me. I spun, but her blade was faster and sliced straight through my right and remaining human arm, earning a pained growl from me. My vision faded to black as I used SchattenSchritt to transport me a hundred metres to the left, likely giving me only a handful of seconds until my time was up and she was back on me.

My regeneration ability was working overtime to stem the blood flow and heal the wounds that my opponent inflicted, far beyond what a normal persons Aura could do. I hissed as I felt bone and muscle form out of subatomic particles, growing and stitching together, skin flaking over it until my arm was fully regrown. I didn't have any time to check if it was in working order due to the fact Salem was on me once more, swinging her blade down at me.

I jumped back, but this proved to be a mistake as a nigh-invisible wave of kinetic force passed over me, a few ribs creaking in my chest and I swore I heard one shatter to dust. I skidded to a stop and practically stumbled out of her next attack, unable to raise my blade in time to block her next attack, earning a deep gash across my collarbone. I raised my inhuman arm and grasped her blade in my hand, lashing out with my sword, aiming for her face. She merely ducked her head out of the way, although I did get a nick across her cheek. She fought back with a knee to my injured stomach, knocking the breath out of me and the lapse in concentration was long enough for her to tear her blade from my gasp and stab it through my chest.

Pain flared as I felt it pierce my lung, my right one if I was feeling it right. She tore the blade out and I stumbled back, breathing suddenly so much harder to do as I fell down onto one knee, my regeneration finally beginning to lag behind, though that was far from a good thing. I heard Salem's footfalls stop only a foot or two from me, prompting me to look up into that same condescending smirk she had worn for most of the fight, my Seele Mitteilung dispersing into wisps of energy from lack of Auric support.

''How pitiful.'' She mocked disdainfully ''And here I thought that you'd be more of a challenge. You were mildly amusing, but far from challenging. To think Ozpin balanced all his hopes on you and Ruby Rose... how shameful.''

Black crept in from the corners of my vision, slowly creeping over the rest of them. I wasn't about to pass out now, and the briefest of bodily and spiritual checks deemed that wasn't the cause of the darkness. Puzzled, I could only idly listen to Salem's victory speech as she went on a tangent of some kind. Just as her voice died down, as if she was finished, did I hear a new, yet familiar voice.

 ** _''Its party time.''_**

 _'Oh for fucks sakes.'_

* * *

Silence filled the Forever Fall forest, only interrupted by the idle sounds of nature and the heavy panting of Eien and lighter panting of Salem. Then all of a sudden, the heavy panting stopped. Salem narrowed her eyes at the now-still form of Eien, sensing he was still alive and something was occurring within is soul. A technique perhaps? His transformed arm was now gone, replaced by a normal human arm.

Abruptly his arm shot up, sword in hand as it raced towards her with great speed. She swiftly stepped back out of his reach and tilted to the side to avoid the sword when he threw it, but the nagging suspicion in the back of her mind warned her that it was more of a feint than anything. Yet, he did not press the attack. Yet.

The boy stood up, stabbing the sword into the ground as he pushed himself to his feet. The sound of cracking bone and tearing flesh reached her ears as his cloak fell off his person, torn to shreds. Bone sprouted out of his shoulders like spears before melting, falling over his shoulders and hardening once more. More liquid bone sprouted out of his skin all over as his body went into spasms, changing.

Pauldrons of bone formed over his shoulders, guiding up to a collar of bone on his neck, a curved spike coming out of each pauldron. Gauntlets of bone formed in place of the metals once he once wore, ending at his elbows. Spiked bone armouring grew over his kneecaps and below, creating protection for his lower legs while a thick chestplate of bone formed, protecting his whole torso. In the places where no armour had grown was a ivory-white fur, inconspicuous had it not looked so much like the Grimm. Over his face grew a helmet akin to a demon with horns protruding from the sides of its temples, pointed forward.

The demonic, almost Grimm-like form of Eien stood up, bright purple eyes glaring from behind the helmet. Salem narrowed her eyes and raised her blade in preparation for an attack, which did not go unwarranted. In a heartbeat he was suddenly upon her, clearing the distance and swinging out with his now-clawed gauntlet hand.

''Tch.'' She sounded and batted the plain attack away with the flat of her blade, ducking under his follow-up jab with his other hand. She lashed out with a curt swing of her sword, but he made the slightest of adjustments for the blade to pass by his armour unaffected. His body shifted slightly before an overhead karate chop came down towards her shoulder and she took a step back, just enough to be out of reach of the oncoming attack.

So it was quite the surprise when she saw the jet-black katana cut into her shoulder, a weapon that he had not been wielding a moment ago.

 _'When did he summon that?_ _'_ She thought incredulously.

She had no time to dwell on that thought as another jab with his claws came in for her stomach. She took repeated, calculated steps back to avoid the rapid jabs with his hand, waiting for an opening. She found one a moment later as he just jabbed out, leaving him open. She tilted her head so the claws passed by her face and attacked with a wide swing, cutting through his bone armour and drawing blood. A furious, screeching roar came from the demon above her, so loud that she winced from the sound that left a dull ringing in her ears. However in her moment of faint distraction, he attacked.

The pommel of the sword bashed on her temple, stunning her and making her stumble a step back before he swung in a wide arc, scoring a deep slash across her torso. The pain snapped her out of her stunned state and she growled, retaliating even with the spots in her vision. Her blade created a gash on his shoulder, digging in but not enough to draw blood. His knee smashed into her stomach, the curved spike piercing her skin and igniting a flare of pain. She growled and jabbed down with her blade in a thrust, piercing his armour and stabbing the blade through his kneecap. A piercing howl met her response and she hastily backed off, her Aura already beginning to heal her stomach.

''Do not underestimate me, child.'' She snapped scornfully as lightning boomed overhead before striking down in a crooked arc, striking him. To her fury however, the thunder did not do as much damage internally, possibly due to the bone armour being resistant to it. She crafted and called upon a swarm of frozen spears of ice, hurtling them towards the currently immobile target. They rained upon him and his armour held up, so she eventually gave up after ten continuous seconds of it to conserve energy.

The sound of ripping flesh and snapping bone once again reached her ears as he morphed once more. Grimly curious, she did not attack and instead waited to see what mutation would occur next. The boy hunched over and snarled as the bone plating on his back cracked, then shattered as a pair of large black wings sprouted out of his shoulder blades. They began flapping and the boy became airborne, if only by twenty feet as he glared down at her, armour already restoring itself to pristine condition and kneecap seemingly back to working condition.

His bony jaw unhinged as a ball of purple, concentrated Aura formed. It thrummed with energy before, with the slightest twitches of his jaw muscles, the ball distorted and fired like a laser beam. She narrowed her eyes and raised the flat of the blade towards the beam, letting it impact against her weapon. The beam wrestled against her in a contest of sheer power, pushing her back almost a dozen feet even after she dug her feet into the ground. Soon however her sword was able to absorb the energy from the beam, collecting it and condensing it within the blade, making it thrum and glow purple. The boy watched silently as she began to spin her weapon with one hand, nimble fingers slowly increasing the speed of which the sword spun until it was nothing more than a blurring buzz-saw.

She abruptly stopped, catching the weapon by its hilt and slashing in front of her, sending a massive wave of purple energy at Eien. With a deafening screech the wave of power cut through his armour and the right side of his body, severing his arm and wing, barely missing his leg. With the sudden lack of balance and lack of a wing, his armoured body corkscrewed and crashed into the ground, kicking up a bunch of dirt.

She smiled sharply and began approaching the foolish child, who was beginning to get back up again, the missing wing already regenerating with a disgusting gel-like fluid. The arm came next, bubbling and cracking as his sprouted a new arm as a plant would sprout a new leaf. She closed the distance in a heartbeat between them, ducking past his reflexive punch and stabbing her sword into his throat. She smiled as the blade met little resistance and popped out the other end, severing his spinal cord also. Victory was hers, she was sure of it.

So she was understandably surprised when his purple eyes glowed brightly before she was suddenly propelled backwards, almost tumbling back from the sudden telekinetic force that struck her. She righted herself but was immediately struck across the face with a clawed fist, followed by a knee to the stomach and an uppercut to the chin, sending her further back from her original position. She growled and glared back at the glowing purple eyes of her opponent, which narrowed when the now-airborne Eien suddenly turned tail and flew in the other direction.

''You aren't getting away from me...!'' She growled under her breath as she extended and hand, flicking her wrist and calling down a bolt of lightning. It phased through the area where he was, yet she didn't feel it connect with her opponent. The faint distortion of wind behind her made her eyes widen before a clawed hand grabbed the side of her head, pulling her off her feet as he smashed her into a tree, then another, and another and another. Her vision blurred as she was smashed through tree after tree with the claws digging into her skull. He finished off his little run by throwing her into a cliff-face, smashing her body into it and collapsing it onto her.

She hissed in pain and hastily got up at the first available opportunity. A bright light from above warned her of incoming danger, but she was too slow to dodge. A harsh beam of purple energy came crashing down on her, exploding into a wide dome of sheer power. It burned at her skin, ate away at her Aura, threatened to suffocate her under its might, yet she did not fall. She would not fall. She _refused_ to fall when so close to her goal.

She forced herself back to her feet, her glare withstanding the onslaught of power. She had enough. She had been pushed around too much in this battle alone, reminded too much of her past self, one who was strewn across battlefields by her enemies. She was no longer that pathetic girl. She was stronger, and she would make sure this demonic malformation of Eien Haizen knew that.

''Enough!'' She snapped verbally. Snow began falling at a quickened rate, the already-dark skies darkening to black as hailstones began to rain down. The wind picked up significantly, or at least more than it was prior. It all built up, locking the two within a swirling vortex of snow and ice as sharp as a sword, preventing either of them from leaving. The heightened winds prompted Eien to drop to ground level, since he was unable to fly. He charged her and she waited until he got close before she struck. Dumping a good chunk of her available energy into it, a massive voltage condensed into a single bolt of lightning, striking down with a thunderous echo as Eien's skeleton became visible for a good seven seconds.

When the lightning ceased, Eien's form was frozen in motion, likely his muscles being so tensed up he was unable to move. She lunged at him, primed to pierce his skull and finally end his irritating existence. It would have happen too, had a blade not met her own, redirecting the following shockwave away from Eien and off to the side. She instantly recognised him as one of the Spirits Eien used, Juha if she remembered his name being said correctly.

''Do not believe yourself to be so superior, Salem.'' He intoned as they broke from their clash, knocked back a few feet from one another. Another one of the Spirits charged, Gin. He came in low and jabbed at her and she redirected his blade before slashing, but he merely tilted it so her blade struck the edge of the hilt. Risa popped up behind her and thrust her palm into her shoulder blade, a ping of Aura ricocheting off her back as a wave of pain coursed through her back. Gin backed off as did Risa, Shu and Kenshi taking their place. The silent ninja popped up behind her and thrust down with his short sword, but she remedied that quickly by cutting through his blade, along with his neck.

Kenshi thrust a glowing fist into her stomach that knocked the wind out of her, the Aura-enhanced blow as strong as steel. She detected another presence to her left but before she could turn her skin ignited in pain as a beam of blue energy burned her side, coming from the one who killed Seraphim, Jaeger. She growled and called down a bolt of lightning down on Kenshi and Jaeger, but both of them were gone by the time she struck.

''Got it!'' A young voice suddenly cried out, belonging to Kotori. She extended her hands out to her sides from her airborne place on her broom and in an instant the snowy storm was dispelled, causing Salem's irritation to grow.

Juha popped up at her side, swinging his blade and a wave of light blue energy being shot at her. She spun to face it and cut it down dead-centre, letting the remnants flow behind her before detonating. Her instincts flared in warning as she partially turned, only to get a clawed fist to the face as Eien struck once more. She stumbled again, her instincts warning her before she was forced to block a blade, one eerily familiar.

''Ozpin!'' She seethed at the older man who had, seemingly, popped up out of nowhere. Now that she glanced about, she realised to her irritation that they were not alone. Summer Rose and Marisol Haizen were also present, and if the Bullheads approaching were any indication more reinforcements were coming. Her lips thinned as she backed off, preparing for a long-distance teleport, requiring just a few seconds to build up all that power.

''This isn't over, Ozpin.'' She murmured at him with a scathing glare before she activated the spell, leaving her enemies alone.

* * *

 **A/N: So that's that.**

 **Despite how powerful Eien is, and by extension, Ozpin, Salem is far superior. The power difference between Salem and Ozpin, neither holding back, is about equal, give or take.**

 **Again, sorry about the late update.**


End file.
